Progressive Gifts and Home July August 2015

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July/August 2015

Best Service to the Independent Retailer Gold Winners 2015

A Big Thank You We are very honoured and proud to win the Gold award for Best Service to the Independent Retailer 2015.

Thank you to all our lovely customers who voted for us at this years Awards and we promise to do our very best to look after you even better in the coming year.

Giftware e q u i l i b r i u m®

Joe Davies (Manchester) Limited 149 Broadstone Road, Reddish, Stockport SK5 7GA Tel: 0161 975 6300 Fax: 0161 975 6301 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

Great Service • Great Products • Great Prices

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www.max-publishing.co.uk The home of market leading trade magazines

From baby to toddler to starting school

EXHIBITIONS

THE HOME OF MARKET LEADING TRADE AWARDS

Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax: 020 7607 6411 www.progressivegifts.co.uk www.thegreatsawards.co.uk Publishers

This Month With high street retail very much top of our agenda in this our Greats issue, a well deserved standing ovation goes to our fabulous Greats 2015 winners! You can meet them in all their triumphant glory on pages 35-49 where, as you'll see, they understandably can't stop smiling as they go up to receive their trophies! If you didn't make it to the Awards this year another fabulous sell out event at The Savoy - then please flick through the party pics on pages 31-33. As with all of life's celebratory occasions, I'm sure you'd agree it's great to be able to look back and re-live the moment!

So how has the first half of the year panned out for independent gift shops? For many, happily, there seem to be few complaints, with greeting cards seen as a growth area this year, along with bigger ticket gift items, such as watches and wall art, which are all helping to boost the average spend. (See Feedback on pages 2729 and PG Live A Big Draw For Gifties on page 17). Retail remains challenging of course, but independents definitely seem to be more upbeat, with many looking to expand sectors such as nursery and children's gifts too, to keep up with local yummy mummies and grandparents. (See Hey Baby on pages 81-85). As Sir Terence Conran recently said: "...the next opportunity is always the most exciting!"

Of course, being part of such a huge and lovely industry, we all know it's good to increase our networking opportunities, something I did with relish a couple of months ago when I was invited to attend the annual bira High Street Retail Conference.

Among the many familiar faces there was the UK's 'Queen of Shops' Mary Portas. Love her or loathe her, she is definitely a force to be reckoned with, passionate in her views about the future of high street retail and not afraid to put her familiar red 'bob' above the parapet. Turn to our Face To Face interview on pages 52-53 to read her stringent views.

Aside from issues about and affecting retailers, this issue also has a strong focus on The Potteries, where the good news is that new kilns are arriving to keep up with a thriving export and domestic market. Stoke may have been on something of a rollercoaster in recent years, but thankfully it seems that now the only way is up. (See Potty About the Potteries on pages 57-59).

Meanwhile, staying in the Midlands, it was hankies at the ready to bid farewell to Isabel (Izzy) Martinson who has been at the helm of The Giftware Association in Birmingham for almost 15 years.

A very respected member of the gift industry, Izzy has stepped down from her position as chief executive to focus on family matters. From everyone at PG&H, we send our very best wishes to her for the future. (See A Fond Farewell on page 15).

So what's next on the gift agenda? For many of us, it's Home & Gift in Harrogate, (see Home & Gift Retail Summit Conference on page 17), where, as always, visitors will be combining business with pleasure and starting to shop early for Christmas. My suitcase is packed, so hope to see you there!

Above: Sue (left) is shown with Sara Allbright, John Lewis' buyer for home and gift collections/candleshop, at the recent Giftware Association AGM. Sara took part in the GA's The Next Generation debate (see page 15) and also collected a trophy on behalf of John Lewis at The Greats. (See page 41).

Left: Sue meets two ‘cardies’ at PG Live. (See page 17).

Cover: Wild Fig & Grape range by Di Palomo.

July/August 2015

Jacqueline Brown, Warren Lomax and Ian Hyder

Design & Production Russell Sutton

Subscriptions enquiries: maxsubscriptions@marketingreinforcements.co.uk Tel: 020 8943 9541 ABC figure 6,788 July 1st 2010 - 30th June 2011 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Progressive Gifts & Home is published 7 times a year.

Subscription: UK; one year £50, two years £85 or three years £110. Overseas; one year £75, two years £125 or three years £165. Please send your cheque to: Progressive Gifts & Home, Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax 020 7609 4222/020 7607 6411 email: ianh@max-publishing.co.uk Copyright 2015. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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1668_ProgressiveGifts_Ad_DPS_AW.ai

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Seasonal collections from the world’s best loved candle

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Come and see us on stand A16!

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Advanced orders now being taken +44 (0)117 316 1200 www.yankeecandle.co.uk

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MODERN APOTHECARY

www.stoneglowcandles.co.uk

ART COLLECTION LIME & MANDARIN

Art Collection NEW colour/fragrance SPICED FRUITS PINK PEPPER & AMBER A spicy accord opening with pink pepper, cardamom, thyme, frankincense, lime and lemon, leading into a heart of clove, patchouli and lily. Fruity notes of apple, plum and raspberry sit on a base of amber, tobacco, cedar wood and musk.

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Home & Gift - A32 Autumm Fair NEC Hall 5 - Stand H27

BUSINESS AWARDS 2015

WINNER BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Tel: 020 8 595 8878 email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk

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Inside Jakki Brown Editor in Chief jw@max-publishing.co.uk

11-25

News

27-29

Feedback HALF TERM REPORT

31-33

PAGES 69-73

Retailers reveal how they've fared so far this year.

65

Trends: Geo & Surface Pattern SHAPING UP

The Greats Party Pages OFF TO THE TROPICS

66-67

In Profile: Signature Gifts THE NAME GAME

A flick through The Greats 2015 photo album.

35-49

The Greats 2015 Winners

51

Sounding Off: Mike Burgess LOST FOR WORDS

Sue Marks Editor

69-73

Mike Burgess, winner of The Greats Honorary Achievement Award, makes the speech he wishes he'd given on the day!

suem@max-publishing.co.uk

52-53

Face To Face: Mary Portas MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY

57-59

Spotlight On...Stoke-on-Trent POTTY ABOUT THE POTTERIES

Spotlight On... Jewellery/Fashion Accessories A ROSE GOLD AUTUMN PG&H discovers it's going to be a razzle dazzle Autumn/Winter.

79

The Queen of Shops shared her views on retail at the recent bira High Street conference.

Ian Hyder Publishing Director ianh@max-publishing.co.uk

Kevin Spindler, co-founder of Signature Gifts, explains how books and giftware are taking the company forward.

Face To Face: Dansk A JEWEL OF A YEAR P&A Agencies are celebrating 10 years as distributors of Danish jewellery company Dansk.

PAGES 81-85

With investment in new kilns, and two state-of-the-art visitor centres about to open, Stoke is definitely on the up again.

Angie Bryant Advertisement Manager angieb@max-publishing.co.uk

62-63

In Profile: Enesco Europe 'BRAND' NEW Enesco Europe's licensing portfolio is rapidly expanding, with the Brisa VW collection the new kid on the block. PG&H discovered what else is taking the company from strength to strength.

81-85

PAGES 62-63

Spotlight On... Nursery/Children's Gifts HEY BABY Britons are spending some ÂŁ200m on 11 million nursery gifts each year, so what's driving the market?

89

A Global Perspective: Thailand THAI-ING INTO TRENDS

110-111 Best Sellers 115

On The Road: David Strafford

115

Last Word: Paul Farmer, OBE PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Transomnia’s buying and design team have put together some really exciting new collections for this Autumn / Winter season, including dozens of exclusive new designs.

The company no longer exhibits at Harrogate Home & Gift, choosing instead to focus on a series of Open Days held at their showroom in Tunbridge Wells from mid-June to early July.

The new collections got a massive thumbs up from Open Day visitors (as did the Pimms!), and the buying team have already been placing re-orders for the early best-sellers to ensure good stocks for the all-important Christmas season.

For those customers who weren’t able to make it to one of the Open Days, Transomnia’s team of sales agents will be out on the road throughout the summer with the new Autumn/ Winter catalogue, featuring all the new products.

7R ILQG RXW PRUH RU WR DUUDQJH IRU DQ DJHQW WR FDOO FRQWDFW VDOHV#WUDQVRPQLD FRP RU SKRQH WKH VDOHV WHDP RQ

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THE GREATEST GIFTS. Your future bestsellers for Christmas 2015 and beyond‌

Get your free ticket today at

www.autumnfair.com BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Telephone – Wild & Wolf, Peppermills – T&G Woodware, Light – Jam Jar Lights, Gold Ornamental Crown – McGowan Rutherford, Jug – Present Time, Gorilla Money Bank – Present Time, Clock – Present Time, L table – Present Time, Sprint Race Car – Tobar, Wooden Plane – Tobar, Melodeon – Tobar, Einstein – Kikkerland, Light up letter A – 7UDQV 3DFLȴF Decadent decs giant bauble red – Talking Tables, Round large table – India Jane

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Industry News

The Greats Awards 2015 A Hot Ticket!

Over 400 guests - to include John Lewis, Fortnum & Mason, Dunelm, English Heritage, National Trust and host of leading indies - attended the 'hot ticket', tropicana themed Greats 2015 Awards, which saw all strands of gift retail come together at the fabulous Savoy hotel in London. The lavish afternoon event not only recognised and rewarded the cream of the gift retail crop, but also provided Above right: Huge smiles of delight from the Greats winners 2015. lots of fun, with parrots galore, Mason cocktail Above: Retro 36's triumph was jars and colourful featured in the Scarborough Comet. ‘honeycomb’ pineapples Right: Bluestone's success made adorning the tables! the front and inside pages of the "The Greats Awards were Barrhead News and was also in the Argyllshie another sell out, and it was a featured Advertiser. fabulous afternoon for Left: 'Great' coverage in the everyone - winners, finalists, Mendip Times for The Country House Gift Company, Winscombe. sponsors, gift agents and Below: Also hitting the headlines in Solihull was Aspire Style. others involved in the gift industry," commented Sue Marks, PG&H's editor. "We were delighted to see finalists at the event from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as from the far flung corners of England. With an arguably better year for retail, the standard of entries was higher than ever."

As winners excitedly texted, Tweeted and updated their Facebook pages, reaction was swift. "We can't believe how our customers have reacted to our success and the number of customers who have congratulated us!" Sara Park-Patterson, manager of Bluestone in Glasgow, winner of the Best Gift Retailer of Jewellery & Fashion Accessories category, told PG&H. "Our Facebook 'likes' went up by a few hundred! We were really overwhelmed by the number of lovely comments." ❐ Looking ahead to next year, The Greats 2016 Awards will take place at London's Savoy hotel on Thursday May 5. Details on how to enter will be announced in PG&H's October/November issue, and online at www.thegreatsawards.co.uk

‘Great' Feedback Here are just some of the many comments received after the Awards: ❐ "Thank you and the Progressive Gifts team for another really professional event." Mike Burgess, md of Parlane International. ❐ "Another great event spent with 'great' people." Julie Andrews, Carte Blanche Greetings. ❐ "A huge thanks to you for once again organising a fantastic awards ceremony. We had a ball!" Paul Hooker, commercial director of Joe Davies. ❐ "Thank you so much for making us feel so welcome. It was a wonderful day and here's to next year!" Caroline and Kevin Irons of GiftsMade4u. ❐ Dad and I had a fantastic day. Well done for organising such a great event!" Sam Malvern, owner of Inside Out in Cheltenham. ❐ "We had such a great time at The Savoy, it was a fantastic day!" Sara Park-Patterson, manager, Bluestone, Glasgow. ❐ "Thank you so much for a brilliant day enjoyed by us all, a real treat!" Mandy Elliot, retail supervisor, Giant's Causeway, National Trust Ireland. ❐ "Although we didn't win our category, this did not detract from the positive effect that being part of the Awards has had on our business." Frances Doran and Rhonda Jardine, co-owners, The Bottom Drawer, Portadown.

Special Greats Presentation Although Sara and Nigel Morris, owners of Rhubarb in Malvern, and winners of the Best Newcomer - Midlands, North and Scotland category, were unable to make The Greats Awards, their trophy was presented to them by PG&H's editor Sue Marks at dedicated greeting card show, PG Live which took place in June.

Right: A 'great' moment for Sara and Nigel Morris, owners of Rhubarb, as they receive their coveted Greats trophy from PG&H's Sue Marks.

Spreading The Word Proving the positive spin-off impact The Greats can have for retailers, owners of The Bottom Drawer in Portadown, Frances Doran and Rhonda Jardine finalists in the North and Northern Ireland category - were invited to take part in a high profile question and answer panel to discuss their experiences and growth in business.

The event was organised by The Northern Ireland Assembly, in conjunction with the Further Education Colleges, and was held in the prestigious Stormont Estate, Northern Ireland's Government Buildings.

Left: Frances Doran and Rhonda Jardine, owners of The Bottom Drawer in Portadown.

Gremlins At The Greats There were definitely gremlins at work at The Greats in May when the incorrect website and image were used for Gifts From Handpicked, a finalist in the Best Online category. A huge apology from PG&H goes to Gift From Handpicked's founder and owner Natalie Yates and her team. The correct website address is www.giftsfromhandpicked.co.uk and the correct image is shown here. (See GA AGM The Next Generation on page 15).

Above: Gifts galore at Gifts From Handpicked.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Over 2000 brand new gifts 9000+ lines to choose from Only £100 minimum order ‘Little & Often’ Ordering System FREE next day delivery Award winning customer service

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Joe Davies (Manchester) Limited 149 Broadstone Road, Reddish Stockport SK5 7GA Tel: 0161 975 6300 Fax: 0161 975 6301 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

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Discover the quick and easy way to increase sales in your store with gifts that sell.

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Unique new launches and firm favourites all designed for the second half of the year.

Sun 19 July Mon 20 July Tues 21 July Wed 22 July Many lines available in single quantities

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www.homeandgift.co.uk Widdop Bingham, Broadgate, Broadway Business Park, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 9XE T: 0161 688 1226 F: 0161 682 6808 sales@widdop.co.uk www.widdop.co.uk

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Industry News

GA AGM

Honoured BY HRH

The Next Generation With a focus on young talent, both in gift retail and gift supply, The Next Generation debate was the highlight of The Giftware Association's AGM in June.

Above: The GA AGM debate in full swing.

Featuring Sara Allbright, John Lewis' buyer for home and gift collections/candleshop; Steve McGuire, global sales director and senior vice-president at LSA International; Natalie Yates, founder of online gift company Gifts From Handpicked; Steven Smith, cofounder of Thabto and Steve McGuire, global sales director and senior vice president of LSA International, the panellists engaged in a lively exchange of views about current issues affecting the industry.

Topics included the future of the high street; how the internet had changed the nature of buying and selling; business-to-business and business-to-consumer websites; how independent bricks and mortar retailers can remain competitive; the damaging effect of replica and counterfeit products, and the personalisation of gift items.

Asked by GA chairman Michael Papé where they thought the industry might be in five to 10 years’ time, Gifts From Handpicked's Natalie Yates said that technology from America could already track people in stores, “so if I’m hovering over the toy dinosaurs for example, my phone will start bleeping and it will know what my interests are." Sara Allbright stated that shops now have an opportunity to do something quite different. "It’s about what online isn’t and can’t do," she suggested.

Looking ahead, Steven Smith thought there was already a massive future trend in 3D printing which would lead to people producing their own products, predicting that the time would come when most homes and offices would have a 3D printer.

Asked by Michael Papé what they would like Marcus Jones, the new minister for high streets, town centres and markets, to achieve, Sara Allbright suggested improving high streets as places to be and places to enjoy. (See Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary on pages 52-53). ❐ Other seminars on the day ranged from digital marketing and alternative funding to investment.

Well Stone The Crows!

The GA AGM turned out to be a very special day for one delegate.

John Allan, co-founder of Stone The Crows! with his wife Philippa Allan OBE, received the coveted Elkan Simons award from the GA's David Simons.

GA chairman Michael Papé described him as a man who was not afraid to push the boundaries. “He's always been at the forefront of the next new thing – never a follower, always prepared to take his ideas, principles and design flare to the edge.

His company was a force to be reckoned with and remains so today,” he stated.

Above: John Allan (left) received the Elkan "John has ‘giftware industry’ through his very core, and his support to Simons award from David Simons. every aspect has been astonishing, from the big presence of Summerhouse, through to craft fairs, where he gives his time to help support the shows and awards, always encouraging others to excel.”

Accepting the award, John said: "My wife Philippa and I have been doing this for 37 years and we still love it.

We are very passionate about product and very passionate about the Summerhouse. Let’s hope it all carries on.”

Italian Style Italian lifestyle exhibition HOMI will be opening its doors at Fieramilano, Rho, in Milan, from September 12-15, running alongside Expo 2015.

Now in its fourth year, HOMI will be evolving its tableware offer, and will also reveal an expanded home decorating fabrics area, featuring international companies. Several sectors have been expanded, to include Kids and Outdoor. In addition, New Classics will be a feature of Homiclass, revealing a mockup of a historic house showcasing upmarket products in different settings.

Events have also been designed to bring together different dimensions and design concepts, with areas dedicated to young people and emerging talents.

The key sectors at the show feature Gifts & Events, Living Habits, Home Wellness, Fragrance & Personal Care, Fashion & Jewels, Garden & Outdoor, Kids Style, Home Textiles and Hobby & Work. Visit www.myhomi.it

Paul Farmer, md of Wade Ceramics in Stoke-onTrent, received an OBE from HRH Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in May, for both international trade and his contribution to the ceramics industry. "I was flattered, honoured, surprised and humbled," Paul told PG&H. Paul took along his wife Kate, son Daniel and his mother Margaret, to share in his big day. "Afterwards, we went to the restaurant Galvin At Windows in London's Park Lane, which overlooks Buckingham Palace. It was a wonderful feeling to think that I had just received my OBE there!"

See Last Word on page 115.

Above: Paul Wade, md of Wade Ceramics, with his OBE, and wife Kate, at Buckingham Palace.

A Fond Farewell

After almost 15 years at the helm, Isabel Martinson, known to the gift industry as Izzy, has stepped down as chief executive of The Giftware Association. In her farewell speech at the Association's AGM, she stressed she was "too young and energetic to retire," but confirmed she had taken her decision purely for family reasons and hoped to resume other career opportunities in the future.

Paying tribute to Izzy, who received a standing ovation, GA chairman Michael Papé told delegates: “Izzy has achieved an enormous amount over many years and has continued to take our trade association forward to offer new services and support to members. She has long been recognised as an expert in the gift and home industry, and is highly respected for her leadership and representative skills - always fighting The GA’s corner on behalf of members, at home and in Brussels."

Izzy admitted that holding the post of chief executive had been her “dream job”, and added: “I have loved my time heading up the Association.

I have worked with some amazing people and been incredibly proud to see young companies flourish and grow with the help of The GA. The gift and home industry must surely be one of the friendliest of all UK industries and I shall very much miss seeing everyone at the trade fairs and other events."

Below: Izzy Martinson proudly shows off a parting gift of a luxury leather handbag, presented to her at the GA's AGM. She is shown with Andrew Illingworth, GA deputy chairman; Henri Davis, GA vice-chairman, and GA chairman Michael Papé (right).

Left: Home fragrancing products will be making a big splash at the show.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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O P E N S H OW RO O M D U R I N G

HARROGATE HOME & GIFT JULY 19 th - 22 nd 2015

Invitation

TO T H E E G O IN G IF YO U A R G IF T OME AND H E T A G O HARR E S AWAY N LY 8 M IL O E R A E OMS FA IR W S H OW RO L U IF T U A E AT O U R B .. .W H Y L S TA B L E S L A H Y B IN N E W A V IS IT ?

D PAY U S N A E M O / N OT C L L E C T IO N ANGE CO R R A N A IT H WE C S H OW W F TO T H E F O P O R D ER. O U R D R IV

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Industry News

Home & Gift Retail Summit Conference

Among the new features at Home & Gift this month, being held from July 1922 in Harrogate, will be the Great Northern Retail Summit, which takes place on Monday July 20 at the HIC. Organisers Clarion Events highlight that it will deliver an inspiring, educational programme focusing on business advice, including the re-birth of the high street and how to maximise online sales opportunities.

“Home & Gift Harrogate is unlike any other trade show," underlines show director Cleere Scamell. "With over 50 years of heritage, Home & Gift is an exhibition, a conference and a festival all rolled into one."

He adds, “Visitors not only have first access to a huge range of lines for the new season but unique networking opportunities which are an integral part of the value of Home & Gift.”

The show features four main sectors: Gifts, Interiors, Greetings & Stationery and Jewellery & Fashion, with the new design at Design Point Debut and Spotlight showcasing design-led products.

Product trails feature the Best of British, curated by David Nicholls; Oliver Heath’s Eco Showcase, and a Christmas Trail.

Among the 'first timers' exhibiting this year will be Willow Brooks, Sophia & Matt, Stockwell Ceramics, Purcell & Woodcock, Arran Aromatics, Repeat Repeat, Professor Puzzle, Branch d'Olive, Blossom Collection and Gillian Kyle.

To register, visit www.homeandgift.co.uk/register.

Travel and accommodation can be arranged through Reservation Highway on 01423 525577. ❐ The GA’s member-to-member scheme will again be operating at Home & Gift. In addition, the GA and Clarion Events will be holding a networking get together for GA members and subscribers at the close of the show on Monday July 20, at the BBQ area in the grounds of the Majestic Hotel.

Left: Visitors at last year's Home & Gift enjoying an al fresco break at the show.

Be A Talent Spotter The Gift of the Year 2016, organised by The Giftware Association, kicks off on September 6. In an initiative to encourage companies to enter, the Association's retail members and subscribers are being invited to hand out special business cards to exhibitors at Home & Gift, Harrogate, that they feel should enter the 2016 competition. Cards are available from The GA’s stand KS10 in the King’s Suite.

With Christmas In Mind Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn, which takes place at the SECC, Glasgow on September 20-21, will be welcome many new exhibitors, alongside established companies, who will all be showcasing their Christmas ranges.

Returning will be the Launch Gallery for young designers.

“Many retailers like to wait until the summer season is over before ordering Christmas stock," says Mark Saunders, md of organisers Springboard Events.

"The show is the last opportunity to find new gifts, place Christmas orders without filling vast stock rooms, and see what will be on trend for Christmas. The focus of many exhibitors is for impulse purchase, well designed and commercial gift ideas which are perfect for small presents and stocking fillers, as well as larger Christmas presents.”

Above: Impulse purchases will lead the way.

PG Live A Big Draw For Gifties Gift shops were out in force at PG Live, which took place at the beginning of June at the Business Design Centre, reinforcing greeting cards as a growth area for gift independents.

"I visited the Springboard section and discovered lots of greeting card publishers that were completely new to me," commented Sally Robinson, owner of Mrs Robinson's Store in Worthing. "I found the show very inspiring," Erica Stahl, owner of Pippin in Edinburgh, highlighted. "To have an entire trade show that is devoted to cards is fantastic," she stated. Also impressed was Denise Laird, owner of Spirito in Broomhill, Glasgow. "I come to the show most years as it's a chance to concentrate on cards. On the first day, we placed nine orders in the first two hours, four of them with new suppliers in the Springboard section." Louise Helyer-Prydderch, owner of Forget-Me-Not in Stubbington, concurred.

"It's really good to be able to focus purely on greeting cards where we've had significant growth over the past 18 months. I tend to do Springboard first and always try to find two new publishers at the show."

Over 260 greeting card publisher exhibited this year, with the Springboard section among the most popular for gift shops looking for a point of difference.

Above: Getting PG Live off to a musical start were Punjabi dancers organised by card publisher Davora.

Left: Greats finalist Karen Nolan, co-owner of Maddy Moos in Totton, spent her £50 Greats voucher on the Blue Eyed Sun stand. She is shown with md Jeremy Corner.

A Bespoke Award

Gift shop Spirito in Broomhill, Glasgow - currently celebrating its 15th anniversary - was among the Scottish businesses honoured at the annual Scottish Independent Retail Awards, organised by Oceanic Creative, at a black tie event held at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow. Voted for by the public, there were 20 awards with the shop winning the Bespoke Retailer category.

"We had no idea we had been voted for and nominated by the public for the award so that was a fantastic surprise to get the call," owner Denise Laird told PG&H. "There are so many wonderful independent shops and it was so lovely of the public to think and vote for us.

All of 'team Spirito' were at the event, so it was even more exciting to share such a great night with such great staff."

Above: Denise Laird, owner of Spirito, with her team, enjoying their success at the recent Scottish Independent Retail Awards.

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29. 8 – 1. 9. 2015

Discover international new ideas for the home and gift sectors – at the industry’s most important meeting place in the second half of the year. fresh.new.ideas. info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

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Industry News

Luxury Purchase

Sheaffer Appoints Joe Davies

Fiskars Buys WWRD Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton (WWRD) has been sold to Fiskars for £281.5m. The sale by US private equity firm KPS Capital Partners was agreed in May. “We are delighted to be bringing together WWRD's portfolio of iconic luxury home and lifestyle brands with Fiskars' Living brands of Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Arabia and Rörstrand, which are Above: Wedgwood's Daisy Tea Story. renowned for their Scandinavian design and heritage,” stated Kari Kauniskangas, Fiskars’ chief executive.“Fiskars Group is set to become a leading global branded consumer goods company in the area of luxury and premium home and lifestyle products focusing on table top, giftware and interior décor."

He continued that through the acquisition, Fiskar's will create a strong presence for the company's Living business in the US, and further enhance Fiskars' market position in Europe and Asia-Pacific. ❐ Finnish based Fiskars acquired Iittala Group in 2007 and Royal Copenhagen in 2013. Fiskars UK recently moved into a new showroom and offices in the Mclaren Tower, Birmingham. See Potty About The Potteries on pages 57-59.

Record Year, Record Profits Portmeirion Group hit a record profit for the sixth consecutive year, with pre-tax profit rising 8.6% to £7.6 million, and revenues increasing by 5.3% from £58.3 million in 2013 to £61.4 million in 2014.

“We are delighted to be reporting another record year," enthused Dick Steele, non-executive chairman. "Our core values of innovation, targeted product development and operational excellence remain unchanged. We remain confident for the future.

Above: Portmeirion in Stoke-on-Trent.

The outlook for 2015 is positive.”

The company has enjoyed a successful start to the year following the launch of its exclusive new Ted Baker Portmeirion ceramic range and the announcement that a new £1.5m kiln will be installed, increasing its UK manufacturing capacity by 50%. Portmeirion Group has four brands: Portmeirion, Spode, Royal Worcester and Pimpernel. See Potty About The Potteries on pages 57-59.

Mantons Wins A Bira Award

Proving, once again, what an outstanding retailer they are, Mantons in Port Erin was recently named British Independent Retailer of the Year at the bira retail awards which took place in May - the only Manx company to ever reach the final.

Naturally, Chris Beards, co-owner of Mantons, a finalist in The Greats, was delighted. "This is well-deserved recognition for all the hard work, effort and commitment to excellence and, of course, to helping our customers, which is something all of our team at Mantons takes great pride in."

Before being presented with the bira award, Chris met up with retail guru Mary Portas, the keynote speaker at bira's High Street Conference held on the same day, telling her: “Having previously won awards for our customer service, product selection, marketing and window displays within the greeting card and gift sectors, it’s fantastic to be recognised by the UK's only awards that are open to every independent retailer in the British Isles.”

See Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary on pages 52-53.

Sheaffer has appointed Joe Davies as their official UK distributor to the independent gift market, with the company launching a collection of over 50 writing instruments bearing Sheaffer's White Dot of writing excellence.

The range will be available for delivery from July with the collection making its official debut at Home & Gift, Harrogate.

Sheaffer was recently acquired by AT Cross, who appointed Joe Davies as distributor of their Franklin Covey collection of pens four years ago.

Above: The Sheaffer 100.

A Victory For Louise

VE Day was certainly a 'victory' for gift retailer Louise Heyler-Prydderch, owner of Forget Me Not in Stubbington, which won the Home Counties, South and South East category at The Greats 2015.

On Saturday May 9, Louise organised a vintage 1940 day with a tea dance and village fete for around 1,000 people. As she told PG&H: "This was a real challenge, but I enjoyed every moment. My fellow traders around the village all reported a record day and the community absolutely loved it.”

Right: Stubbington locals get into the 'swing' of things at the Forget Me Not organised village fete and tea dance, held to commemorate VE Day.

Enesco And Lolita Clink Glasses

Above: Chris Beards of Mantons received bira's Best Independent Retailer of the Year Award. He is shown with comedian Tony Hawks (left), and Nigel Wright, operations director at Stax Trade Centres, which sponsored the award.

Winners All At Pulse

Five award category winners were revealed on the opening day of Pulse in May, judged by an expert independent line-up. Best New Product - Launchpad was won by Paige Cartledge; Best New Product – Fashion was won by Maya Magal Jewellery; Best New Product – Living: was won by Lollipop Designs; Best Newcomer was won by Lapuan Kankurit Oy and Best Brand Presentation was won by MAKE International.

Above: Pulse Award winners (from left to right) Paige Cartledge, Jaana Hjelt from Lapuan Kankurit Oy, Louise Wallace, Pulse show director; Russell Bock from MAKE International; Rachel Le Mesurier from Lollipop Designs; Maya Magal from Maya Magal Jewellery and Angelina Stojsavljevic, Pulse marketing manager.

Adding to its impressive portolio, from January 1, 2016, Enesco will become the official distributor of Lolita glassware in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company says that the fun, artistic designs and giftable products make Designs by Lolita a perfect complement to the Enesco family of brands “I'm thrilled to partner with Enesco,” comments Lolita Healy, ceo and founder of Designs by Lolita. “When I started out, just a gal with some hand-painted Martini glasses, I never imagined how much the brand would grow. I am excited about the potential that lies ahead and confident Enesco can help us take Lolita to new heights while delivering fabulous products to our fans.”

Currently, Enesco is working closely with Frank Emmel, md of Gaeltag Keltika, to ensure a smooth transition of the distribution. ❐ More news from Enesco is that the VW Collection by BRISA is now exclusively available from Enesco in the UK and Ireland. See Brand New on pages 62-63.

Above: VW Collection by BRISA giftware available from Enesco.

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Industry News

Stoke In Its Prime

Below: Going back to the 19th century, Anne Widecombe (left) and Miquita Oliver did some hand decorating at the Gladstone Pottery Museum.

Six Celebs Go Back To The Past

Six celebrities - Alistair McGowan, Anne Widdecombe, Miquita Oliver, Zoe Lucker, Tyger Drew Honey and Colin Jackson - travelled back in time to Stoke-on-Trent’s 1840s pot bank to create and decorate china for BBC One's prime time history series, 24 Hours in the Past.

The third programme featured Longton's Gladstone Pottery Museum, shown on Tuesday May 12, with the prime time series following the six celebrities who spent four days in four different 19th-century workplaces.

They all tried their hand at working in a typical 1840s pot bank, which included decorating china.

Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel, Nerys Williams, the museum's audience development officer, said: "The producers saw photographs of the museum on the internet and said that it was exactly the sort of thing they were looking for!"

See Potty About The Potteries on pages 57-59.

We'll Drink To That During a recent food slot on ITV's This Morning programme, TV presenters Philip Schofield and Amanda Holden were each presented with a bottle of Vin du Pays with a personalised label, courtesy of Signature Gifts. "We put the This Morning logo on the bottles too," highlights Kat Grant, Signature's trade marketing communications administrator.

The wine bottles were used as a props during a 'corking wine gadgets' sector, with Philip and Amanda shown on camera with the products.

See The Name Game on pages 66-67.

Left: This Morning's Philip Schofield with his personalised wine bottle from Signature Gifts.

Not Such An 'Odd' Business Idea It was a 'double first' for United Oddsocks recently, when the colourful sock company was named Enterprising Business of the Year and overall Business of the Year at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) annual Hertfordshire Business Awards.

“This is a massive accolade for us,” enthused md Gary Schaffer. “Selling funky socks that deliberately don’t match was one of those classic down-the-pub throwaway ideas that people have all the time. But we were actually mad enough to give it a go and look where we are now – selling two and a half million socks a year and being named the best business in Hertfordshire. I couldn’t be any more chuffed!”

Continues Gary, who founded United Oddsocks with business partner Paul Hughes: “I remember the huge buzz I got when I first spotted a complete stranger wearing a pair of our socks, and I thought ‘we could be on to something here’!” ❐ Gary recently became a newly elected member of The GA's national committee.

Autumn Fair's Wish List

Above: Gary Schaffer (right) and his business partner Paul Hughes, show off their two FSB awards, plus their socks!

Autumn Fair, which takes place from September 6-9 at the NEC, Birmingham, has unveiled a new website and refreshed branding.

The site includes a ground-breaking ‘wish list’ functionality that provides a year-round exhibition shopping experience for retailers, enabling browsers to add favoured items to an online shopping cart, making retail trade buying possible for 365 days of the year.

Autumn Fair brand manager Kate Disley comments: “The new website for Autumn Fair, which has been in development for several months, represents a significant investment in the show by organisers i2i Events. The exciting new functionality we’ve introduced will greatly enhance the product sourcing experience for many thousands of retailers who want to see what’s on offer and browse our website for inspiration. As far as we are aware, it is the first time such technology has been implemented by a retail exhibition organiser. ” The Autumn Fair website can be shopped by product category or direct searches for specific exhibitors with users clicking the star on the product image to start creating a wish list. The personalised My Wish List can be emailed to the user ahead of the exhibition. Later this year, the same technology is due to be rolled out for Spring Fair 2016. Visit www.autumnfair.com

'Brand' New Distributor

My Gifts Trade has taken on the sales and distribution of Designers@Royal Stafford collection, launched in 2012 by Royal Stafford's md Norman Tempest. The company focuses on innovative new designs, coupled with Royal Stafford's expertise in manufacturing.

"We will be exhibiting the designers’ work at Home & Gift, Harrogate, alongside our Hinchliffe and Barber range," confirms Nikki Courtney, head of business development at My Gifts Trade.

Above: The Flower Garden by Helen Russell, part of the Designers@Royal Stafford brand, will be on show at Home & Gift in Harrogate. See Home & Gift on page 17.

Bee Generous

Gisela Graham is officially supporting a fund-raising promotion on behalf of the Friends of The Honey Bee, run by The British Bee Keepers Association (BBKA).

"Our Kitchen Garden designs Above: Gisela Graham's feature flowers and fruit Kitchen Garden range. and the bees that help to propagate them," explains Gisela Graham's sales director Piers Croke. "We are donating a chunk of the profits from the range to support the research programme. We’re also inviting the public, through point of sale material at participating stockists, to make their own direct contributions to the research fund."

The BBKA is raising funds for research into how to protect the honey bee which is vital for the pollination of fruit and vegetables, which are under threat from the killer mite Varroa.

Penning A New Look

No sooner had the doors closed on the last day of the London Stationery Show at the end of April, than organiser Chris Leonard-Morgan was busy unveiling a new look for the 2016. "It's more modern, clean and stylish, and uses a pen nib icon in bright pink in its presentation," he explains.

The 2016 exhibition also sees the introduction of Wrap It!, a new, dedicated area for gift packaging.

The 2016 event will take place on April 26 and April 27 at London's Business Design Centre during National Stationery Week. World Stationery Day will take place on Wednesday April 27.

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Industry News

Princess Charlotte Gift Suppliers Fast Off The Mark

The gift industry went into full swing following the birth of Princess Charlotte at the beginning of May, with marketing mavens and retailers believing that the baby princess will almost certainly have generated more revenue for the country's manufacturers and suppliers than the birth of her big brother Prince George.

One of the first companies to start selling products was Royal Above: HRH Princess Charlotte.

Below: A teddy fit for a princess from Merrythought.

Crown Derby, whose Royal Baby porcelain collection went on sale within minutes of the birth announcement.

Emma Bridgewater too, didn't waste a moment, with the company confirming that once the name was announced, cut-outs were made, with product ready within a day.

On the teddy bear front, Merrythought unveiled a hand numbered, collectable Carrick teddy bear to commemorate the birth of the baby Princess, designed and produced in the UK. Also celebrating the birth of the Princess was Tales From The Earth, which launched Life Charms, a special, sterling silver charm collection featuring charms representing all aspects of a healthy and happy life.

Meanwhile, grandfather Prince Charles offered a wide spectrum of products on his Highgrove website, with profits going to the Prince of Wales' Charitable Foundation. Items included baby china, bootees and blankets. On the high street, Calliope Gifts, which has shops in Dorking and Alton, put in a Princess Charlotte window within hours of the Royal baby being born.

Ceramics expert Steven Moore of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow added: “It was predicted that there would be less interest in a second Royal baby for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and some manufacturers were cautious. However, it seems the world has taken HRH Princess Charlotte to its heart.

With less pieces produced, they could well become collectors’ items.” See Hey Baby on pages 81-85 ❐ Analysts confirm that Prince George generated almost £400 million for the UK economy.

Music Gifts In Its Element

Tie-ing in with both Home & Gift in Harrogate, being held in July, and Autumn Fair being held in September, The Music Gifts Company will be celebrating the company's 20th anniversary by launching an entirely new brand - element.

"This has been borne out of a response from our customers who are also looking for more men’s gifts including socks, cufflinks, hankies, mugs, coasters, keyrings, pins and birthday cards," explains md David Gee. "With our 20 years’ experience in the trade, we are in the privileged position to work with some of the finest craftsmen, as well as many wonderful customers around the country who we have supplied over the years.

We will have both ranges on our new extended display so customers can instantly associate the new range with us."

Adds David: "We are thrilled to have reached our 20th anniversary and want to thank everyone for helping us along the way."

Left: New from The Music Gift Company: mugs from the company's new brand, element.

Trending At Tendence Tendence, which takes place from August 29 -September 1 at Messe Frankfurt, will be showcasing the latest products for Christmas 2015/Spring 2016 in the show's Living and Giving sector, playing host to over 1200 international exhibitors.

For retailers looking for some festive inspiration, keynote speaker Karin Whal will be returning to the show with her Windows Dressing Live seminar, sharing expert retail advice on how to stop consumers in their tracks.

The show will be showcasing an extensive portfolio of products covering living, furnishing, decorating and giving.

The Ecostyle and Webchance fairs will be held concurrently with Tendence, with an Eat & Lifestyle, food and lifestyle event aimed at consumers, also running alongside.

Visit http://tendence.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en/besucher/events.html

NEWS IN BRIEF ❐ The UK retail market’s record run continued in May with the 26th consecutive month of year-on-year growth. (Source: ONS) ❐ Apple Shopfitting and Display has officially gone into liquidation having closed its doors in April. ❐ Tie-ing in with the Rugby World Cup (RWC), Rainbow Designs, an official 2015 licensee, has launched a new Shaun the Sheep merchandise range to include plush, toys and Above: Official RWC plush window stick-ons. The from Rainbow Designs. products are available now. ❐ Ashleigh & Burwood has launched a new trade website, with upgraded functionality and a fresh new layout. Visit www.ashleighburwood-trade.co.uk. ❐ Miss Milly has been named as a finalist in the Most Promising New Business category of the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce Awards. See A Rose Gold Autumn on pages 69-73. ❐ P&A Agencies is celebrating its 10th year as the UK and Ireland distributor of leading Danish jewellery company Dansk Smykkekunst in the UK. See A Jewel Of A Year on page 79. ❐ Royal Selangor is currently celebrating a milestone 130th anniversary and has marked the occasion by opening a flagship store on London's King’s Road. ❐ Boo the Socky Doll from the Intelex Group collection of Warmies was recently featured in the Dunelm TV ads featuring the Dunelm Sleep Sheep.

Above: T&G's md Patrick Gardner (centre) with staff and friends at the races.

❐ T&G celebrated its 40th birthday with a day out at Chepstow races for staff and friends of the company. The group enjoyed a meal, a flutter and judging the best dress horse for each race, as well as presenting the winners of each race with a bottle of champagne and a photo finish memento. ❐ In response to exhibitor and visitor feedback, UBM EMEA Built Environment has confirmed the closure of the May Design Series exhibition. The show launched in 2013.

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Industry News

NY NOW Opens

PEOPLE ❐ Craig Wasley recently joined Wade Ceramics as business development manager.

Newcomers Make Their Debut

New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is getting ready to welcome hundreds of new and returning exhibitors to NY NOW, the Market for Home + Lifestyle, being held from August 15-19.

Nearly 400 of the show's 2,600 exhibitors are expected to be ‘first timers’, with a focus on newcomers in both the NEW! showcase in the 1D Lobby, and in the Etsy Wholesale pavilion, featuring handcrafted home and lifestyle products as part of Handmade Designer Maker.

Nearly 400 new and returning, exhibitors will be seen throughout the show, complemented by significantly expanded floor space and new and returning exhibitors in Artisan Resource, showcasing overseas export enterprises and organisations offering handmade product collections and custom design production from around the world.

Visitors will also be able to make the most of seminars at the show covering social media marketing, visual merchandising, tax preparation, demographics analysis and importing advice.

NY NOW’s three main collections Home, Lifestyle and Handmade - as well as NEW! exhibitors - encompass 100,000 products across a broad range of categories.

Attendees from all 50 US states and around the world are expected at the show. Visit www.nynow.com Left: NY NOW opens its doors in August.

Hats On For Dodo Pad's 50th It was 'Mad Hatters' all round at a spectacular celebration tea held to commemorate the 50th Golden Jubilee edition of diary/organiser Dodo Pad. Owned by Rebecca Jay for the past 20 years, Rebecca invited Dodo Pad aficionados to join her, dressed in English eccentric attire, for an afternoon garden party, held at Claydon House in Buckinghamshire, seat of the Verney family, who first introduced Lord Dodo (aka Sir John Verney) to adoring fans in 1966.

"The 50th anniversary edition is an amazing milestone for Dodo Pad," Rebecca told guests, which included one fan Above: Rebecca Jay, owner of Dodo Pad, with who had flown in from America. "Would Sir John Verney have believed Ishbel Curr, the winner of the most eccentric that his weekly planner grid solution diary would have survived to 2015? outfit of the afternoon award, who has been a So much so that it has become a tradition in some families, with fourth Dodo Pad devotee since 1974. generations starting to use them. Fifty years on it's largely unchanged and still as indispensable, despite social media and the digital age."

❐ Having joined Churchill China eight and a half years ago, Dave Hubszer (right) formerly head of outsourcing, was recently appointed retail marketing manager. ❐ Stephen Powell has been appointed national field sales service manager at Ashleigh & Burwood. Stephen has worked in the industry for the past 12 years and will be implementing new initiatives designed to support Ashleigh & Burwood's retailers. ❐ Nick Baker (right) has joined the Lesser & Pavey team having previously worked for Salco. He will handle overseas accounts as well as assisting with major key accounts in the UK. ❐ Also joining Lesser & Pavey is Jonny Greaves (right) who previously spent seven years working for Sparks gift wholesalers, owned by his parents. Jonny will be assisting on the product development side. ❐ Jonathan Hart, chief executive of Thorntons, left the company at the end of June after five years at the helm. A successor is being sought outside of the company.

Sadly Missed

It was with great sadness that Bolsius Nederland BV announced the death of John Barthorpe (right), the company’s sales manager for UK & Ireland at Bolsius UK, Trend forecasting agency Scarlet Opus shared its insights with visitors to Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively who died after a Electrical in the middle of June, which saw a record attendance. Trend tips included an Olympic Summer for period of illness.

Spring/Summer 2016 influenced by the flavours of Rio, to include tones of rich red and hot pink, Amazon green Even during the time he was unwell, John and Toucan yellow. Other trends highlighted were textures and shapes found in nature, artisanal skills, craft continued to run the UK business in his usual techniques, blonde wood tones, lace patterns and marbleised effects. quiet, unassuming and efficiently successful style, say the company.

John joined in 2012 and Rob Kindred (left), UK sales director for Dartington Crystal has sadly passed away at St Peters was instrumental in markedly Hospice Bristol at just 52 years of age. Rob had only recently been diagnosed with an aggressive growing the business in the terminal condition but retained his lively spirit and warm nature throughout his last few weeks. giftware, housewares, catering After an early career in the Royal Navy that included service in the Falklands War, he applied his and garden markets. He will enthusiastic personality and tenacity to commercial selling. Having held sales roles for Waterford be sorely missed by his Wedgwood, Stuart Crystal and Caithness Glass, Rob joined Dartington in 2004 where he helped colleagues, business partners build both a strong sales team and enduring relationships with his customers. Many customers and and customers. colleagues were fortunate to count Rob as a personal friend. He is remembered for his great Alain Grillo, international humour, endeavour and thoughtfulness to all who worked with him. Rob leaves wife Vicki, son sales manager, will assume James and daughter Zara. Donations can be made in his memory at his tribute page on interim responsibility for www.stpetershospice.org.uk UK operations.

A Touch Of Rio At Exclusively Housewares

Sadly Missed

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Live for the present See the spectacle...

HOME & GIFT 19–22 JULY, STAND DP2-3 AUTUMN FAIR 6–9 SEPTEMBER, HALL 3, STAND T02-U03 TOP DRAWER 13–15 SEPTEMBER, STAND D29

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Feedback

Half Term As 2015 reaches the half way mark, the good news is that gift independents reveal that there has been an general upward trend, both in the average spend, and in consumer confidence, with greeting cards a growth area for many shops.

PG&H asked a selection of retailers up and down the country for their views on the first half of the year.

Seeing Growth

Below: Utility, has shops in Liverpool and London.

"From the middle of last summer, business picked up noticeably, leading to a strong Christmas and New Year," states Dick Mawdsley, a director of Utility, which has three shops in Liverpool and London.

"However, there was a real dip in April, definitely linked with the looming General Election, which took the edge of things. However, since then, fortunately we've seen a resurgence.

We're 10% up on last year, which is good for a mature retailer celebrating its 15th year."

Continues Dick: "The sector that's really growing for us is greeting cards where it's important for us to stay ahead of the multiples. We have therefore put a lot of work into concentrating on new suppliers and new ranges and it has paid dividends. We have also put more effort into our watch and jewellery ranges which has pushed up the average spend. It's currently around £13, but, of course, that is swayed by the volume of greeting cards that we sell."

Looking to the rest of the year, Dick predicts that sales will continue to grow and get stronger.

"Nevertheless, we will have to work hard to maintain that growth," he states.

"However, now that we have a single party government with most of the rest of Europe also showing signs of growth, it's definitely making me feel more confident going forwards."

Report Sales Significantly Up

Below: Rhubarb, Malvern.

"2015 has been a great year for us," confirm Sara and Nigel Morris, co-owners of Rhubarb in Malvern. "We've only been open for two years, but we have seen a marked improvement, with sales up by 40-50% on last year and the average spend up by 20% to £20. People tell us they really like the shop because it's become a destination store," states Sara.

"There's definitely more confidence around in terms of spending power, which is making us feel more confident in terms of the rest of the year. A particular trend we've noticed this year is that people are buying a gift for a friend and one for themselves. Regulars, especially, seem to be treating themselves more."

Good lines for the company are framed art and lighting. "People seem to be investing more in their homes and it's our framed art sales that have really helped to push up the average spend."

Adds Sara: "We're fortunate in that our footfall is consistent, and because we get a lot of tourists in this area, we're not only relying on the locals. In addition, we also seem to attract shoppers from the bigger cities such as Birmingham, where it can be hard to find independent retailers like Rhubarb."

Up And Down "So far, this year has been quite erratic," says Linda Stone, buyer at The Bottle Kiln in West Hallam. "We've had some really good days but some really quiet days too. The weather definitely had an impact and, prior to the General Election, footfall certainly dropped off.

However, what has been good about the year is that the average spend has gone up to around £15."

Adds Linda: "In addition, we have Right: The Bottle Kiln in West Hallam, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

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Feedback definitely seen growth in cards. Despite all the predictions that e-cards, texts and social media would have an impact, greeting cards seem to have successfully bucked the trend and are doing very well for us."

On the gift side, although growth has slowed, Linda highlights that certain sectors are still continuing to perform. "Scarves seem to have taken over from jewellery as among our best sellers, where we're doing particularly well with Hem & Edge from One Button as well as scarves from Hot Tomato. We are also selling more handbags this year. I also think there has been a bit more movement in housewares too, which has impacted positively on the gift side."

Exceeded Expectations "This year has been better than anticipated," confirm Michelle and Jan Ellingham, co-owners of Box of Delights in Flitwick. "What we have concentrated on is stocking what people want to buy rather than what we would buy ourselves."

Highlights Michelle: "On the gift side, sentiment jewellery is still leading the way, especially Equilibrium from Joe Davies and jewellery from Tales of the Earth.

We've also been doing very well with carnival lights this year. However, the growth area has definitely been fashion accessories, especially scarves and handbags.

We've also noticed that people are buying more for themselves."

Left: Box of Delights, Flitwick.

About The Same "Business has been about the same this year as last year," says Stephanie Gaskell, co-owner of Saffrons of York and Little Saffron in The Shambles. "Retail is always challenging - you constantly have to be focused and can never be complacent. However, we're continuing to do well, on a par with last year, and recently opened a third shop, Saffrons of Northallerton, in response to customer demand. It's a replica of our first two shops, but we have also introduced some home products," Stephanie confirms.

She says the best performing sectors this year have been Yankee Candle, greeting cards, especially top end and humour cards, and sentiment products. "We're finding that people want uplifting sentiments, irrelevant of what the sayings are on," she explains. "In addition, Yankee Candle went in before Christmas and customers love the products."

She says that an average spend in the shop is somewhere between ÂŁ10-ÂŁ15, sometimes more with add-ons. "We're doing best with impulse items.

People are no longer buying expensive, high end gifts."

Right: Saffrons of York.

Good Feel "It's been a pretty good year so far, in fact, we're slightly ahead," comments Denise Laird, owner of Spirito in Broomhill, Glasgow.

"Business has a good feel to it and customers seem to be more upbeat, less cautious. We're doing very well with jewellery, especially JOMA's carded bracelets, and also with Pilgrim. Other lines selling well include scarves from Powder. We're also seeing good growth in greeting card sales."

Adds Denise: "A big boost for the shop was winning the Bespoke category in the Scottish Independent Retailer Awards this year which is our 15th. It was voted for by the public and was a huge surprise!"

Left: Spirito, Broomhill.

On A Par

Below: Inside Out, Cheltenham.

"Datewise, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Easter were all quite close together this year, with Easter particularly good for us," says Sam Malvern, owner of Inside Out in Cheltenham. "With this in mind, we went into chocolates for the first time, buying from Choc on Choc. At Easter, we sold lots of decorative products and Easter egg hunt props from Container Group Buying and Talking Tables, and we also saw strong sales in our baby giftware, general children's products and christening gifts, as lots of our customers are young mums. Jewellery too, has been another strong seller, especially JOMA's carded bracelets and jewellery. However, the growth areas this year have definitely been greeting cards and giftwrap."

Adds Sam, "what did affect us though was Cheltenham Gold Cup Week which fell on the same week as Mother's Day. People didn't come out to shop because of the traffic and that did have an impact."

Definite Growth "2015 has been very good so far," enthuses Erica Stahl, owner of Pippin in Edinburgh. "We had a bumper Valentine's and Mother's Day, with cards a growth area for us. We put a lot of effort into finding unusual designs and currently devote 25% of our floor space to them. I constantly get comments from customers saying that we have the best cards in the area. We have also seen growth in jewellery sales over the past six months," she continues. "It's encouraging, as Above: Pippin, Edinburgh. jewellery can be very up and down, but we've improved our selection and it's paying off. In addition, our baby section is always very successful and has been again this year. We are very much gift based - people don't come into to buy brands from us - and customers know they will always find something." Adds Erica: "2015 has been very encouraging so far and we have definitely grown compared to last year."

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The Greats Awards 2015

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Funâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was the buzzword at The Greats this year, as guests really entered into the spirit of the tropicana theme! From pineapples and tropical sunglasses to exotic birds and parrot pens, it was definitely the hottest ticket in town from the moment guests arrived at the fabulous Savoy in London on May 7!

If you couldn't be there, join in the fun of the day by flicking through the photo album with us.

The winner in each category is revealed on pages 35-49.

Below: Getting into the spirit of the event were Will and Amanda Oscroft of Love It (left) and Kevin and Caroline Irons of Gifts Made4u.

Above: The River Room awaits guests, with paper pineapples reflecting the tropicana theme.

Above: The Greats trophy stands proud outside London's Savoy hotel.

Left: Having fun at the drinks reception, Candi and Kevin Newby of Flint.

Below: Early arrivals were Ciara McSherry and Laura Able (right) from Dunelm, who are shown with Angie Bryant (left), PG&H's advertisement manager.

Above: PG&H's editor Sue Marks (centre) with, from left to right: Lisa Marcuccio, Lisa Shoesmith and Lynn Briody from Really Good/Soul with Stephanie Gaskell from Saffrons of York and Little Saffron, The Shambles.

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The Greats Awards 2015

Above: English Heritage/Stonehenge Visitor Attraction's Bea Carroll, Caroline Branagan (right) and Jon Bichener.

Right: Smiles all round from David Hicks (centre), md of Really Good/Soul, with, from left to right: Joe Guest of Fortnum & Mason, Kate Donkin, Hannah Tate and Alex Dudek from Oliver Bonas, and Madeleine Mcpherson, also from Fortnum & Mason.

Below: Having some 'tropical' fun: PG&H's editor Sue Marks; the London Stationery Show/National Stationery Week's md Chris Leonard-Morgan and Jakki Brown, joint md of Max Publishing.

Inset: The gang from Velvet Moon, from left to right: Marie Deasy; Anne Connolly; George Meikle and Brenda Wallace.

Below: Pineapples at the ready: Claire North of The Dinky Dove with Emma Daly.

Above: Among the guests from Brodie Countryfare were Rachael Duncan (left) with Vladimir Vukovic and Kristen Gilbert.

Right: From left to right: Lucy Benham, David Budd and Natasha Abbott from John Lewis; Liliana Perez Barrera from Wild & Wolf; Sara Allbright from John Lewis and Dave Heffernan from Wild & Wolf.

Above: Greats finalists Frances Doran and Rhonda Jardine of The Bottom Drawer in Portadown, Co. Armagh.

Left: Dressed for success, the team from Aspire Style.

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The Greats Awards 2015

Above: The PG&H gang! From left to right: Jakki Brown, Sue Marks, Ian Hyder and Angie Bryant.

Left: Toastmaster Simon Green welcomes everyone to the Awards.

Right: A stand-up/sit down competition helped to get everyone in a party mood.

Below left: Tension builds for the two stand-up/sit down finalists: Paula Gregg from WOW in Hythe and Dave Gibson from Joe Davies.

Above: The tables are set, with the goody bag gifts out on display.

Below left: And the winner is . . . a delighted Paula Gregg, who won a magnum of champagne and tea at the Savoy presented to her by Progressive Greetings Liveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s co-owner Warren Lomax.

Right: A lively raffle saw Mandy Biddle from Greats event organiser Createvents present a lucky guest with her prize. All proceeds went to The Light Fund charity.

Below: Stand-up comedian Ben Norris' quick fire patter had everyone in fits of giggles.

Left: Guests tuck into a delicious lunch specially prepared by the Savoy's top chefs.

Right: After a 'great' day, there was a going home goody bag for every guest brimming with fabulous gifts, kindly donated by Greats category sponsors and gift suppliers.

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Award sponsor

Below: Mandy makes her way to the stage.

"It took me a minute to realise that they had called out my name. I can’t remember anything about getting on stage, shaking hands or collecting the award. I just remember wanting to keep it together until I got back down to the table – then the tears came! For me this is the biggest achievement in my professional life to date. I’m delighted!"

Mandy Elliot, retail supervisor, Giant's Causeway, National Trust Ireland.

Left: Angelina Stojsavljevic, marketing manager for Clarion Events' Home & Gift Harrogate show, which sponsored this category, presented the trophy to a beaming Mandy Elliot. Also pictured is comedian and awards host Ben Norris.

Independent Gift Retailer of the Year

Award sponsor

"We were thrilled to receive this award. Everyone has put in a lot of hard work over the past few years to transform our Battersea store into a boutique shopping experience, and I'm so happy that we've produced something which stands out from the crowd."

Timothy Duggan-Rees, director of retail, Charles Farris.

Above: A smiling Timothy on his way to receive the award for Charles Farris.

Right: David Hicks, md, and Lisa Marcuccio sales manager, from Really Good/Soul, sponsor of this award, presented the trophy to Timothy.

Independent Gift Retailer of the Year

Above: A smiling Ria Edwards store manager, and Nicky Walker, store supervisor, en route to the stage.

"I felt absolutely overjoyed with pride when I found out we had won our category! I was on tenterhooks all day waiting for news, but my girls had no reception. When a picture finally came through of the award, I couldn't quite believe it. Just sorry I missed a fantastic day!"

Louise Helyer-Prydderch, owner, Forget Me Not, Stubbington.

Award sponsor

Left: Ria (centre) and Nicky received their trophy from directors and sisters Rita Davanzo (left) and Dominique Fracasso Stroud (right) of category sponsor La De Da Living.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

35

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Independent Gift Retailer of the Year

"When our region came up and all the names of the finalists were read out time stood still. Then we were announced as the winners. All our table cheered as we got up. Being a winner just backs up all the hard work you put in to make a great shop. It was bloomin' marvellous!" Amanda and Will Oscroft, co-owners, Love It.

Far left: Big smiles from Amanda and Will Oscroft.

Left: Simon Anslow, exhibition organiser of Harrogate Christmas & Gift, category sponsor, presented the award to Love It's owners Amanda and Will Oscroft.

Award sponsor

Independent Gift Retailer of the Year

Below left: A beaming Tilley Tebbutt can't believe her name has been announced.

Below: Stephen Senior, the ceo of Root Candles Europe, category sponsor, presented the Greats trophy to Tilley.

Award sponsor

"All I remember thinking was ahhhhhh, Marmalade Meringue, that's us... we've won woohooo, followed by a little scream and almost choking on my wine from the pure thrill and excitement. I was absolutely delighted and couldn't wait to share the news with my co-director and partner in crime - mum!" Tilley Tebbutt, co-director, Marmalade Meringue.

Independent Gift Retailer of the Year

"Stunned. Amazed. Proud.

Honoured. It was an amazing feeling!"

John Jackson, md, Retro 36.

Left: John and Paul received their Greats trophy from Paul Hooker, commercial director of Joe Davies, category sponsor.

Award sponsor

Right: Smiling with delight, John and Paul Jackson.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

37

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Independent Gift Retailer of the Year Below centre: And the winner is Inside Out! Sam on her way to collect her trophy.

Far left: Sam Malvern with her Greats award which was presented to her by Jon Cameron, ceo of category sponsor Wild & Wolf,

"When we were announced as the winner, I was completely shocked. The competition was so great that I wasn't expecting to walk to the stage to collect the trophy. I'm so overwhelmed and thankful to my team and customers who let me continue to do the job I love."

Sam Malvern, director, Inside Out, Cheltenham.

Award sponsor

Independent Gift Retailer of the Year

"The moment we heard, I thought "Wow! Wow! Wow! I can hardly believe it! This is great news for our whole team at The Old School Beauly!"

Helen Crawford, owner, The Old School Beauly.

Award sponsor

Right: It's us! Absolutely thrilled, Helen and William Crawford make their way to the stage.

Above: Helen holds on tightly to her award which was presented to her by Clare Davis, director of Clare Davis London, category sponsor.

L

O

N

D

O

N

Independent Gift Retailer of the Year

Above: Elaine on her way to the stage.

Left: Mike Burgess, md of category sponsor Parlane International, and finance director Caroline Burgess, presented the award to a delighted Elaine.

"When we heard our shop had won the award it was an amazing feeling! We love our shop, and my team works really hard to give our customers great service, so being presented with a Greats award at the Savoy was the perfect acknowledgement for their effort."

Elaine Coles, owner of The Country House Gift Company.

Award sponsor

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Independent Gift Retailer of the Year

"We are absolutely thrilled to have won this Greats award! We have had a hectic first 18 months and have learnt a lot along the way. It's 'great' to know we're getting it right!"

Sara and Nigel Morris, co-owners, Rhubarb.

Far left: Nick Davison, from category sponsors i2i Events Group, organisers of Spring Fair & Autumn Fair, announces Rhubarb as the winner.

Left: The Greats trophy was presented to Emma Cain by Nick Davison, portfolio director for Spring Fair.

Award sponsor

Below: Peter Goodman, director of category sponsor Xpressions 4 U, confirms that the winner is Temptation.

Left: Temptation's Helen Dunham, head of retail, and Christian Adams, head of business development, received their trophy from Peter Goodman.

Award sponsor

"I was delighted and so proud that John Lewis have won this award for the second year running. It is a great accolade for all our partners working in head office and branches to offer customers the best assortment on the high street."

Sara Allbright, buyer home and gift collections/candleshop.

Award sponsor

Left: Senior account manager UK & Ireland, Stefan Koldeweij, of category sponsor Kaemingk, announces John Lewis as the winner.

Right: All smiles, a delighted Sara Allbright with Stefan.

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'Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only afterwards that you can reflect on all the hard work and effort that has gone into being deemed worthy of winning, and how itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all been worth it. At the time, however, the disbelief at hearing your name makes it impossible to put any of that into words."

Gary Hogan, md, About Living.

Below: Chris Leonard-Morgan, director of category sponsor London Stationery Show and National Stationery Week, en route to the stage to announce the winner.

Award sponsor

Above: Gary Hogan, md of About Living, holding the winning Greats trophy, which was presented to him by Chris Leonard-Morgan.

Far right: Rob Tyler, sales director of Di Palomo, category sponsor, presented the Greats trophy to Jacqueline and Andrew Ward, owners of Armstrong Ward.

Right: So happy, Jacqueline and Andrew head for the stage.

Award sponsor

"When Armstrong Ward was announced as the category winner, Andrew and I were both completely stunned and it took a couple of seconds to sink in! We are, of course, really proud and thrilled to have won this, and doing so was a real team effort from everyone at Armstrong Ward."

Jacqueline Ward, co-owner, Armstrong Ward, Kendal.

"We were completely ecstatic on hearing our name being called out!

After 15 years in business, this award has certainly been a highlight of our continued celebrations throughout 2015. Being able to return home and let our customers know what we've achieved was an amazing feeling.

Truly overwhelmed and grateful."

Sara Park-Patterson, manager, Bluestone.

Above: Presenting the award to winners Sarah Park-Patterson and David Brooks on behalf of category sponsor Dansk Smykkekunst, Copenhagen, was Peter O'Loughlin, md of P&A Agencies, which has just celebrated its 10th anniversary representing the Danish jewellery company.

Left: Big smiles from Bluestone's manager Sara Park-Patterson and creative sales assistant David Brooks.

Award sponsor

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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"The competition and standards were incredibly high this year and we felt very honoured just to be named as a finalist. To be crowned the 2015 winner has been a fantastic achievement, reflecting both the hard work and dedication of our staff of which we are immensely proud."

Claire Self, director, Whitehall Garden Centre.

Award sponsor Above: Claire Self and Alison Harding on their way to collect their Greats Award.

Left: Winner Claire was presented with her Greats award

by John Athwal, md of category sponsor Premier Decorations. Accompanying Claire on stage was Alison Harding, directors PA/head of merchandising.

Award sponsor

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were absolutely thrilled to be announced as the winners of the Best Museums/Visitor Attraction Gift Shop in the UK. We welcome over 1.4m visitors a year and our aim is to give each of them an extraordinary experience and provide them with an unforgettable day out. The team are immensely proud of this national recognition.â&#x20AC;?

Alison Brooks, general retail manager, Chester Zoo, Diamond Jubilee Gift Shop.

Left: Alison Brooks, general retail manager, and colleagues John Sutton, retail operations manager, and Vicky Powell, retail buyer, make their way to the stage.

Right: Big smiles all round from Chester Zoo's Alison Brooks, John Sutton and Vicky Powell.

Their Greats award was presented to them by Michael Pape, director of category sponsor Ravensden.

"'Winning the award was a real thrill and a very special honour. The award is a testament to the commitment of our staff to make the business a success, constantly making sure that our stores look amazing and creating a fabulous shopping experience for our customers.

It's just a shame we couldn't have had every member of the Aspire Style team with us on stage to receive it!"

Emma Woodward, co-owner, Aspire Style, Oxford and the Midlands.

Left: Christine Pantrey, Gisela Graham's customer services manager, gets ready to announce the winner.

Far left: Co-owners of Aspire Style, Emma Woodward (holding the trophy) and Samantha Yair, received their award from category sponsor Gisela Graham's Christine Pantrey (left).

Award sponsor

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Below: Ian Hyder, joint md of Max Publishing, sponsors of this category, revealed Cliftons as the winner.

"We were delighted to win this prestigious award. All the team at Cliftons have worked hard over the past 12 months on our online store and it was wonderful to be recognised for these efforts at The Greats."

Phil Parkes, md, Cliftons.

Award sponsor

Left: Smiles all round from Ian Hyder and Phil Parkes of Cliftons, who is shown receiving his Great trophy. Also on stage was Angie Bryant, Progressive Gift & Home's advertisement manager.

, Right: Loch Leven's Larder owner Emma Niven, buyer Katie Gilmour and retail manager Emma McCallum pose for a group shot before going up on stage.

Far right: Emma holds the coveted Greats trophy presented to her by Melanie Stack, (right), president and general manager EMEA of Yankee Candle Europe. She is shown with Katie Gilmour and Emma McCallum.

Award sponsor

"It was certainly a 'GREAT' surprise!"

Mike Burgess, md, Parlane International (See Lost For Words on page 51 for the speech Mike wished he'd made!).

Right: A proud moment for Mike Burgess who received his award from Michael Pape, chairman of category sponsor The Giftware Association.

Right: Loch Leven's Larderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winning Cinderellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gone Missing promotion.

"Winning the Best Retailer Initiative award was fabulous! It gave us a real sense of achievement, and being acknowledged on such a big retail stage at The Greats was the icing on the cake."

Emma Niven, buyer and director of Loch Leven's Larder, Kinross and Perth.

"This year's award goes to someone who continues to lead and influence the gift and home sector, a stalwart who has spent a lifetime in the industry, yet loves to help those who are just starting out, sharing both wisdom and experience. Our winner hasn't only been an astute businessman. He has always been very involved in the wider gift industry, and was one of the original founders of The Summerhouse where he is still instrumental in its ongoing success. He was elected chairman of The Giftware Association in 2008 - during the height of the recession - where he provided strong leadership to the industry as he continues to do today."

Part of the citation by Michael Pape, chairman of The Giftware Association.

Above: Mike makes his way to the stage.

Award sponsor

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

47

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"We sponsored one, and we won one! How good is that!

We’ve got to work harder to change the colour of that gong next year!"

The Gisela Graham team.

Award sponsor

“We put customer service at the fore-front of all we do as we continuously strive to ensure we offer a gold-standard service to all our customers. A big thanks to all our customers not just for voting for us but for their continued support throughout the year.”

Andrew Illingworth, sales director, Widdop Bingham.

“It’s amazing to win the Gold award for service. We don’t take it for granted as there are some incredibly good suppliers nominated as finalists, so we were speechless, elated and so very grateful to all our fantastic customers. The whole Joe Davies team work so hard at service all year round and it’s a great recognition of their commitment.”

Paul Hooker, commercial director, Joe Davies.

Award sponsor

Left: Christine Pantrey, customer services manager at Gisela Graham, accepted the Bronze award from Simon Boyd, show director of category sponsor Progressive Greetings Live.

Above: Christine goes up to the stage to receive the award on behalf of the company.

Above: Stuart Illingworth, md of Widdop Bingham, accepted the Silver award from Simon Boyd, show director of category sponsor Progressive Greetings Live.

Left: A smiling Stuart Illingworth goes up to the stage.

Award sponsor

Above: Huge excitement from the Joe Davies team as they celebrate their success as winners of the Gold award. The award was presented by Simon Boyd (right), show director of category sponsor Progressive Greetings Live.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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MIKE BURGESS

SOUNDING OFF

Lost For

Words

PG&H' s guest columnist this month is Mike Burgess, md of Parlane International, who received the prestigious Honorary Achievement Award at The Greats in May. Choked with emotion when he reached the stage and was asked to ' say a few a words' , PG&H subsequently invited Mike to make the acceptance speech that he wished he' d made on the day!

"I was quietly thinking who was going to be honoured this year. My mind was wandering through the possible candidates in the room.

I was not really listening to the introduction in fact, I was thinking about the time, as chairman of The Giftware Association, I presented this award to gift industry veteran Keith Entwisle back in 2009.

I looked across the table at my wife Caroline, who had just realised that Michael Papé, the current chairman of The Giftware Association, was talking about me, and she was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Confusion hit me.

Why was she grinning? Then the penny dropped, and I saw my mug shot appearing on the screens around the room.

With no time to think, I walked to the stage in a state of trembling shock - why me? I was speechless. I froze on the spot.

The only words that came out were “I am choked.”

I have now had time to recover from the shock of receiving this award. I have also been reflecting on the many years I have been in Right: Big smiles all round! Mike Burgess, md of Parlane International, with his wife Caroline, financial director, and the coveted Greats Honorary Achievement award.

this very special industry. I have been thinking of all the things I could have said whilst on the stage.

How amazing is it that you can receive an award for doing something that you thoroughly enjoy? I have been so lucky to have met so many wonderful talented people, many of which I also regard as close friends. I have been in this business for 50 years and I have lived through so many

changes. I have lost count of the number of economic recessions. I remember the three day week, life before the fax machine, decimalisation and the introduction of VAT, not forgetting the arrival of credit cards.

There have been so many changes, both good and bad, and yet, always so many opportunities for starting a new business, be it as a retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer. This industry has, and always will, attract entrepreneurs and hardworking free spirits who have a dream and are happy to take a chance.

While many industries have floundered along the way, the home and gift business has survived through thick and thin. It has constantly reinvented itself by introducing new concepts, new products and new trends, and long may it continue. We should all consider how very lucky we are to make our livings in this exciting and extremely creative industry.

I want to thank all the customers who have believed in the products that my team and I have brought to market. Without our customers I would not have received this award.

Thank you also to the team behind The Giftware Association who constantly work hard to ensure that our industry has a voice and supports the needs of retailers and wholesalers alike.

Thank you to Max Publishing for supporting the gift and home industry with The Greats Awards.

And finally, a big thanks to Caroline, my financial director and wife, who works tirelessly to keep me on track!

Winning any award is a great honour and this one is certainly very special.

I am extremely proud of this award and I feel it deserves pride of place on our reception desk at head office. We have lots of visitors to our showroom and, every day, I see customers looking at it and asking our receptionist: ‘what is it and can I touch it?’ It has certainly become a major talking point and will be for many years to come.”

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Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Mary Portas may have her detractors, but the bottom line is that she is genuinely passionate about the future of our high streets, as PG&H discovered at the recent bira High Street retail conference in Warwick.

As the keynote speaker, Mary shared her views on what central government and local councils should be doing to help small retailers, and why she believes our high streets of the future will revolve as much around the social experience as the products. "The high street is the heartbeat of the community and that is what people are fighting for," she states.

R

etail guru Mary Portas is, in the flesh, exactly like the Mary Portas you see on TV. Tall, immaculately groomed, she is a presence - passionate, forthright, straightforward and strident.

As the presenter of TV's Mary Queen of Shops, the show - first aired in May 2007 helped to make her a household name. In the ensuing years, spin-offs have included an eponymous fashion brand concession in House of Fraser stores and a best-selling autobiography, Shop Girl. She is also founder and creative director of creative communications agency Portas.

However, four years ago, what really propelled the name Mary Portas onto the front pages was The Portas Review - her government commissioned recommendations on how to turn Britain's flailing and failing high streets around.

Although Mary's report was heavily criticised, she feels it did achieve a lot of important things.

"It put local high streets and small businesses onto the public Top: Mary Portas, Queen of Shops.

Right: Mary is interviewed on stage by bira conference host Alexis Conran from BBC TVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Real Hustle.

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agenda," she points out. "It created a civic pride, and it cut through the red tape surrounding markets, which is where major multiples such as M&S and Sainsbury's started out," she states. "Behind my report was giving back an infrastructure to communities. But if I had to do the report again, I would have done it as a cross party review and I would not have put my name to it. I feel that the politicians shielded themselves. With hindsight, I would have made sure the government signed off the recommendations before they embarked on

their PR campaign because there was a lot of bad press."

Misgivings aside, she is keen to point out that, historically, dating back to Gregorian times, retail has a habit of redefining itself every 50 years, demonstrating that it understands what is happening in people's lives. "In this instance, we have seen a shift because of the recession and because of the internet, an everyday way to shop. But people are now realising the importance of the high street in terms of how they live. They are fighting for regeneration, and I for one believe in the power of the people."

Despite predictions that the future of retail would be online, coupled with the ("devasting") growth of big out-of-town supermarkets, Mary says this viewpoint has now changed.

"The new type of customer is buying less, but shopping on the high street more, with supermarkets actually coming back to high streets with small, 'local' outlets."

She says that, over the years, she has discovered that it

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Face To Face: Mary Portas

Mary's Advice To Independents

all comes down to where councils work with communities and where they don't. "The real problem is that it's the councils that have the pot of money," she continues. "They need to understand what regeneration really means, because, in the past, high streets have tended to look after themselves. Landlords didn't mind who took the shops as long as they could pay, so we ended up with clone towns."

She is therefore adamant that there is a vital need for town teams to work effectively with councils. “The most important thing we should be doing is to put all the Portas Pilots’ and town teams’ learnings online, showing what has worked and what hasn’t.

That way, the information would be accessible to everyone who has a stake in their high streets."

To support her theory, she cites Rotherham as an example, highlighting that

there was a massive uplift in town footfall when the council lifted Saturday morning parking fees, bringing 50,000 additional cars to the town. "Imagine if that was copied across other towns?" she questions.

Her passion however, is to see high streets turned into 'destinations'. "People need the heartbeat of local communities. It's about stopping to chat to someone. I'm optimistic that local councils will see that towns need to be set up to the power of the people, especially if we get business rates right."

Her vision is that it will involve people crafting and developing high streets that we

Wearing her Queen of Shops hat, Mary highlighted some of the reasons why independents fail - aside from struggling with cash flow problems and lack of support from their councils.

“Everyone thinks it’s about the business, but it’s not, it’s about the people,” she emphasised, highlighting that many independent retailers feel very alone.

She also points to a symbiotic relationship between staff and product.

“When you walk into a shop, you instantly see if it's tired and unloved. You can smell it. You know what's right or wrong. I want to go into shops on the high street that feel confident, but a lot of shops forget that they need to inspire." (She cites Apple’s continued investment in its stores as proof that, despite online sales, there will always be a place for an in-store experience and knowledgeable staff).

"If a retailer is not connected, and not making the people who come into their shop happy, then they are missing out," she emphasises. "Plus, independents need to know their competitors. Those that don't are the ones that fail," she states. "If they want to be successful, it's vital that they know who does best practice/worst practice. But if the footfall isn't there then that really is a tough one, and that’s why I'm fighting so hard for the high street."

Above: Mary signed copies of her autobiography Shop Girl.

Right: Mary’s ‘interview’ at the recent bira High Street conference focused on making high streets destinations.

Charity Shop Quota

Having recently opened 18 Living and Giving charity boutiques for Save the Children, Mary Portas suggests that there should be a quota of charity shops on every high street, three for example, rather than, say, five.

"After the quota is filled, initially, the same rateable level should be given to two other businesses that are important for the high street, with those shop owners eventually paying higher rates as their businesses grow. It's a win/win situation for the council - the same amount of money in the pot. That is how you can really look at regeneration," Mary states.

"Plus, if anchor stores are important, then, again, they should initially pay the same rate.

It's how shopping malls are built up. As the high street starts to pick up, the councils could then put in the businesses that they need to grow it. Slowly, but surely they could then pay the same rates as the other shops on the high street. It should be the same for businesses who need support, the shops on the high street that people need. Councils should be thinking, ‘we want that shop, you're finding it tough, so we will charge you the same rates we give to the charity shops’. I don't want to take anything away from charity shops, but I do think there are other ways for sharing the pot of money that councils have."

Revealing another idea to help independents, Mary also believes that there should be a successful strategy of councils buying up property that’s for sale. "They could then rent these units at discounted rents to community-building independents," she suggests.

haven't seen before. "Personal connections need to be forged by retailers and consumers so that going out shopping is not merely a means to an end. It is also a social experience that makes people feel happy."

She says that creativity will be at the heart of it because we can no longer survive off nostalgia. "High streets need shops, meeting places, creches and recycling outlets, places that people really need - spaces that are intrinsic and valuable to local communities. And the most important thing is, we all need to work together to achieve that."

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Making in Stoke-on-Trent, England

Home & Gift Harrogate Stand M2 t: +44 (0)1782 744721 e:homesales@portmeiriongroup.com www.portmeiriongroup.com

E. & O.E. June 2015

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Š 2015 Portmeirion Group UK Limited

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Spotlight On: Stoke-On-Trent

Potty About The

Potteries

The crash, bang, wallop days are long gone for The Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent. Stoke has been reborn over the past few years, enjoying a true renaissance as countries around the world, especially North America, South Korea and Japan, clamour for the all important Made in England back stamp.

With a substantial investment in new kilns, and two stateof-the-art visitor centres opening over the next few months, Stoke is definitely on the up.

PG&H met up with the movers and shakers.

A few years ago, who would have believed that Stoke-on-Trent, with its roller coaster history, would, once again, have become a force to be reckoned with? As historic brands looked to outsourcing, so the naysayers predicted that Stoke was finished.

But when these companies cracked and crashed, ironically, it was the brands that had stayed true to their Stoke roots that flourished, with, for example, Portmeirion snapping up Royal Worcester and Spode as part of the Portmeirion Group, which also owns Pimpernel. The company is now one of

Stoke-on-Trent's biggest success stories, enjoying six consecutive years of growth, with revenues exceeding £61m, and export, particularly to North America and South Korea, helping to drive sales.

The company's domestic market is thriving too, all of which has led the company to purchase a new £1.5million kiln this year, which arrived at Portmeirion's Stoke HQ at the end of June. It will increase capacity in the UK by 50% and create around 100 new jobs.

"Business is very positive at the moment, with both export and the domestic market

Above: The Potteries are currently on a roll, with companies investing in the future of Stoke-on-Trent.

Below right: A glimpse inside the new Wedgwood museum.

Bottom: Ted Baker is a new, fashion forward brand for Portmeirion Group.

growing," concurs Phil Atherton, the company's group sales and marketing director. "We're extending our countries, extending our brands, extending our ranges and expanding our customers.We're in lower double digit growth based on last year's figures, with our order book full for the foreseeable future."

Wedgwood Ups Its Game WWRD - Wedgwood, Waterford Crystal, Royal Albert and Royal Doulton (WWRD) - sold to Finnish company Fiskars in May - has been undergoing a £multi-million overhaul, to include a more streamlined factory and a significant expansion of the Wedgwood Visitor Centre which is scheduled to open in mid July.

The visitor experience will include a new factory tour, master craft studio, Wedgwood museum and the UK's first Wedgwood Tea Room.

The factory currently produces 50% of Wedgwood’s tableware and ceramics with output expected to be given a significant boost as a result of the new facilities. (See Fiskars Buys WWRD on page 19).

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Spotlight On: Stoke-On-Trent Adds Phil: "Although South Korea has slowed down slightly, the arrival of our new kiln means that development is moving more towards UK product as you would expect, so that we can fill that capacity as well as coping with the growing demand from the Far East.”

Above and below: About Time from Churchill China feature trend-led, masculine mugs that will be launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate, in July. Other new mug launches include Chasing Rainbows.

Tea Time In China

Also investing in the future is Churchill China, where retail marketing manager Dave Hubzer confirms that the company spent a total of £1.6 million on capital expenditure in 2014 - to include a new kiln - which has given Churchill additional capacity at its UK plant. "This is just part of our ongoing programme of investment in UK manufacturing," he confirms. "America has grown massively for us, with our main focus for moving forward being our key licences - Collier Campbell, the RHS and Alex Clark. Where there are gaps within licensed product we are focusing on our own brands which include The Caravan Trails and Little Rhymes."

At bone china mug company Dunoon, the company is holding up well in terms of both the UK and export markets. "The mug market has grown and grown which is why, as a niche company, we have continued to do well," states director Peter Smith. "We are in a growth market, and at Dunoon, we can deliver bone china and Made in England, as well as quality and design not only domestically, but also to over 60 countries internationally."

As well as a substantial investment in two new kilns this year, the company has also introduced two new shapes. "Iona is a new tankard shape for us and we are already getting some good re-orders," says Peter. "Shapewise, it fills a gap that we were missing. And because we always do well with tall mugs, we will be launching a new oversized Argyll shape at Home & Gift,

At Hudson & Middleton, the company's growth is continuing to come from its export markets, notably China, Korea and Japan. "While the UK is flat for us, the Far East is thriving," says md Mike Shirley. "These countries are desperate for English heritage, not least because it means quality."

Big business for the company is its tie-up with Annvita's English Tea Rooms in China, where Hudson & Middleton is continuing to supply Stoke-made bone china tea ware. "They currently have 50 tea rooms but by the end of the year they hope to have 100," confirms Mike, Above: Taking tea with "and Annvita will also be opening a first outlet in Canada."

Also helping to raise Hudson & Middleton brand awareness this Hudson & Middleton. year will be the opening of a visitor and skills centre this Autumn, along with a new showroom, funded by an £854,000 grant received from English Heritage and the European Regional Development Fund. The money is also being spent on repairing and expanding the company's current premises.

"There will be viewing ports, where people will be able to see some of the manufacturing taking place inside the factory as well as skills such as casting, glazing and hand dipping," enthuses Mike.

Harrogate, in July - around half a litre. It fits in with our more contemporary Cairgorn and Lomond shapes, so going forward we're feeling quietly confident."

At Middleport Pottery, (owned by Denby), the home of historic brand Burleigh, the company's historian Jemma Baskeyville is also very positive about the company's future. "Our newly opened £9m regeneration Continued page 59

Case In Point: Down Memory Lane

When Tewkesbury-based greeting card publishers Cherry Orchard decided to expand its product offering with a range of fine bone china mugs, the company's first port of call was to its Midlands neighbours The Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent.

“We had an amazing response to our new range of cards, Down Memory Lane, with its bold iconic designs and facts from the relevant years,” confirms Jackie Collins, md and owner of Cherry Orchard. “When we decided to branch out into the gift market, presenting the designs on a range of china mugs, we knew we needed to focus on the same priorities that we do for our card ranges: top quality at an affordable price. To make this a sustainable venture, the emphasis had to be on both first class workmanship and reliable service."

Continues Jackie: "Many products may say they are printed in the UK, but the goods are actually sourced from elsewhere. By deciding to support a local business, we knew we could be sure that not only would the supplier’s quality control measures be up to standard, but also the service and delivery too, as well as the consideration of the carbon footprint factor. We approached Just Mugs as it has been supplying good quality, fashionable products to the housewares trade for over 18 years, and selected a choice of styles to complement our 24 designs for male and female milestone cards. This now enables us to offer a wide range of quality gifts for customers to choose from that have a personal touch, rather than one size fits all.

For milestone birthdays, it’s good to offer a gift that celebrates the special day but that can also be treasured for a long time afterwards."

Jackie says that retail response to the mugs has been extremely positive, with pre-orders now being taken for delivery in December.

Above: The new Cherry Orchard Down Memory Lane gift mugs are manufactured by Just Mugs.

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DISCOVER A BRITISH TREASURE Gluggle Jugs by Wade Ceramics A market leader in the design and production of high-quality ceramic products, for you.

T: +44 (0)845 481 0206

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E: enquiries@wade.co.uk

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Spotlight On: Stoke-On-Trent

A Mixed Bag Of Ceramics

site, which was opened by Prince Charles as president of the Prince's Regeneration Trust last summer, is a visitor destination where people can not only visit the shop, but also walk round the museum and the visitor centre. Guided tours include the bottle oven and mould archive, and we are currently attracting 600-700 visitors a week."

Although a growth in figures is down to an increase in footfall, the company has also upped its marketing strategy and will be making its debut at the Ideal Home Show. "We’re planning to do other shows too," confirms Jemma, "to include garden and flower events which will all help to raise awareness."

In addition, the launch of new ranges and shapes will include special items, such as limited editions and bigger pieces. There will also be a focus on pieces from Burleigh's archives, to include large jugs and Right: Making an impression, the new Argyll shape from Dunoon.

Above: Also from Dunoon, a Wessex commemorative bone china mug.

Below and below right: Asiatic Pheasant and Regal Peacock are two of Burleigh's most popular designs.

The antique Regal Peacock design, created in 1913, recently won the Tabletop Innovation of the Year category at the Housewares' and Innovation Awards.

Interestingly, not all successful Stoke-on-Trent companies produce tableware. For example, also celebrating growth is B2B organisation Wade Ceramics, which manufactures a diverse range of products, ranging from decanters and Gluggle jugs to Vernalis ceramic lamp bases, Kraken spiced rum bottles for the American market, Johnny Walker flagons, mortar and pestles (not, as popularly thought, the other way round, says Wade!), with the company currently raising the profile of its pie dishes and pie funnels.

Wade - which is also looking into producing personalised ceramic wedding favours - moved to its current, purpose built, owner-occupied premises in Stoke in 2010, and is currently celebrating 16 years following a management buy out in 1999. (The American arm was sold as was a third business Allied Insulators).

"We doubled our capacity in 2010 with a £12m investment and built the first new ceramics factory in Stoke for some 60 years," confirmed md Paul Farmer OBE. (See Last Word on page 115). "We took the decision to regroup and have gone back to what we are good at," Paul confirms. "Earlier this year, we invested £150,000 in a new kiln."

He sees Wade as the 'go to' company when people want something in ceramic that is outside the box, to include inhalers with Himalayan salts. "We do a more diverse range of ceramic products that any of the other companies making us quite unique in Stoke," states Paul.

Above: Mortar and pestles remain a best seller.

Left: A Wade Gluggle jug.

statement 'champion' pieces that will be concentrating on big shapes from the past.

"On the retail side, sales of Burleigh are up by 16% on last year, with the most popular designs Asiatic Pheasant and Regal Peacock, a 'comeback' pattern which is growing in popularity," points out Jemma.

Meanwhile, the big push for many Stoke companies this Autumn includes

a range of ceramics commemorating 'the longest reigning monarch', with product launching shortly.

(The Queen takes over the title from Queen Victoria on September 9 when she will have been on the throne for more than 63 years and 216 days).

Although there aren’t any official events planned to mark the occasion, Dunoon is launching a commemorative mug, with Hudson and Middleton offering a longest reigning monarch range, featuring a Jan Constantine design, which will be going across tableware too.

Stoke companies are also looking forward to extra commemorative Royal sales next year to mark the Queen's 90th birthday.

With Her Majesty as popular as ever, few doubt that the kilns, both new and old, will be firing on overdrive!

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights a selection of new products from Stoke-On-Trent potteries.

Down Memory Lane The iconic designs on the new range of Down Memory Lane mugs from Cherry Orchard are guaranteed to prompt nostalgic memories as they hit the shops in December. Marking milestone ages, the bone china mugs come in a range of 24 male and female designs, in different styles, and recall images and events from relevant years in vibrant, eye-catching colours. The mugs complement the hugely successful range of Memory Lane greetings cards. Available now for pre-order.

Cherry Orchard Tel: 01684 295500 Email: info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk www.cherryochardpublishing.co.uk

Perfectly Portmeirion 2015 continues to be an exciting year for Portmeirion Group. Along with an array of delightful new launches for the summer, the Stoke-on-Trent pottery story is stronger than ever. Demand for Portmeirion’s iconic Botanic Garden collection continues, whilst the success of Spode’s Delamere Rural perfectly encapsulates the great British trend for everything heritage and everything countryside. And with Spode Blue Italian’s 200th anniversary just around the corner, 2016 is set to be quite a year!

Portmeirion Group Tel: +44 (0)1782 744721 Email: homesales@portmeiriongroup.com www.portmeiriongroup.com Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M2

Luxury Lighting 2015 heralds an exciting return to luxury lighting from one of England’s most famous and established ceramic makers. Wade invites you to share in its passion for great design and innovation.

These exclusive pieces are hand-crafted in Staffordshire and are finished to the highest standards. Offering a bespoke design and development service, Wade delivers unique pieces which enable you to stand out from the crowd - for all the right reasons.

Wade enquiries@wade.co.uk +44 (0)845 481 0206 www.wade.co.uk

Personalised Gifts Based in The Potteries, PMC is the largest UK supplier of personalised gifts, with a huge product range including personalised ceramics, glassware, silverware, wood and slate to name a few. The company personalises each gift for all occasions, ranging from birthdays, weddings, gifts for her and gifts for him, to personalised home and kitchenware gifts. PMC is a reliable drop shipper with a passion for quality and service, with the majority of lines available to be despatched for next day delivery.

PMC Tel: 01782 744900 Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk www.personalisedmemento.co.uk Autumn Fair Hall 5 Stand K03

Colourful Splodges Blobs! is a new range of three designs on Dunoon's Cairngorm shape and features bold watercolour splodges in random patterns in three different colourways. This range continues Dunoon's popular theme of brightly coloured and contemporary designs such as Splat! and Drizzle to name a few, which have proved to be best sellers.

Dunoon Tel: 01785 817414 Email: sales@dunoonmugs.co.uk www.dunoonmugs.co.uk Home and Gift: Hall B Stand Number B29 M&O Paris: Hall 6 D52

Oversize Mugs Dunoon invites you to see their new mid-year collection for 2015, and especially their new oversize Argyll fine bone china mug, made in the heart of Staffordshire, England.

Dare Devils is a new range of six designs on Argyll and feature super-fast speedsters drawn in a retro style. The Velodrome, Grand Prix, a classic motor bike, and even a rocket, are portrayed. Very much a 'blast from the past'.

Dunoon Tel: 01785 817414 Email: sales@dunoonmugs.co.uk www.dunoonmugs.co.uk Home and Gift: Hall B Stand Number B29 M&O Paris: Hall 6 D52 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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In Profile: Enesco Europe

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; New

Enesco, synonymous with Willow Tree, and best known for its collectable brands Lilliput Lane, Border Fine Arts and Beatrix Potter, has upped its game year-on-year, both in the collectables market and in licensed giftware.

With new Disney and Marvel figurines joining the company's licensed portfolio, Enesco has also recently been appointed as the European distributor for both the Brisa VW collection as well as Designs by Lolita (from January 2016).

With a significantly bigger stand than last year at Autumn Fair in September, PG&H asked Ken Johnson, md of Enesco Europe, what's driving sales?

While collectables remain the heartbeat of Enesco, the company has been rapidly expanding its enviable licensed portfolio, alongside product that it is proud to develop in-house.

"The collectable market is smaller than it was several years ago, but there are still a lot of collectors supporting our three main brands - Lilliput Lane, Border Fine Arts and Beatrix Potter - and we still enjoy strong support through our collectors clubs," confirms md Ken Johnson, who has been with Enesco for over 30 years. His early background is steeped in the china and

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glass industry, with Ken initially joining Border Fine Arts as sales director in 1985, before being appointed as the company's md in 2006, where he has made his mark by taking the company forward in both the collectable and gift sectors.

"There are still many people collecting without, perhaps, being labelled as 'collectors'," points out Ken. "In fact, we are seeing this with many of our brands. For example, people are collecting all of our Frozen figurines, or they are

Above left: Ken Johnson, md of Enesco Europe.

Above: The Brisa VW Camper Van Collection, a new distribution for Enesco which will be showcased at Autumn Fair.

Below: New for this summer: the launch of the company's Betty Boop by Britto Collection.

Inset: A Frozen limited edition from A Moment In Time.

finding themselves with several Willow Tree figurines. So although they are not joining a collectors club as such, they are loyal. This is particularly evident through our social media activity where we can see how much they love to talk about their collections, air their views and ask about what's new."

In 2014, the company introduced A Moment In Time and Marvel, a collection of Disney and Marvel limited edition high-end figurines which are made entirely in Enesco's factory in Langholm, in the South West of Scotland.

"These classic figurines are attracting discerning collectors from all over Europe," highlights Ken. "Plus, in the Autumn, we will also be introducing characters from the films Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty as well as Captain America. There is a very buoyant market for licensed products, in particular Disney, and we now have seven different Disney licensed brands, with many different styles and price points."

He highlights that there has been an overwhelming response to products that feature Iron Man, Spiderman, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio & Geppetto, Cinderella & the Fairy Godmother and the company's Frozen scene, featuring Anna and Elsa in a key pose from the box office hit movie. Two model castles from Frozen are also currently being created by Enesco's talented Lilliput

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In Profile: Enesco Europe Lane team, both of which will be launched later this year.

In addition, this Autumn, the company also has several A Moment In Time and Marvel collectors’ events taking place in Holland, Germany and Belgium, alongside the UK. "What continues to drive our collectable markets is high quality and innovation of products," emphasises Ken. On the distribution front, Enesco recently signed an exclusive agreement with Brisa to distribute its Volkswagen products in the UK, Eire and in France from June. "The product offering sits well with our current portfolio, but also offers us something different and a further opportunity to explore new retail channels," explains Ken. Meanwhile, from January 1, 2016, a distribution agreement with Designs by Lolita will come into effect, making Enesco Europe the exclusive European distributor of Lolita wine and beer glasses. "Lolita has been an admired brand for many years and is enormously popular with consumers and retailers alike," says Ken. "The engaging, fun, artistic designs make it a perfect complement to the Enesco family of brands

and it will be available in all of our markets." (The entire collection, including new designs, will also be showcased on the company's new stand in Hall 4 at Spring Fair 2016, near the walkway to the Summer House).

Of course, successful line extensions too, are also significantly contributing to the company's growth. "There are always regular introductions to our many successful Disney brands," confirms Ken. "For example, we have added more characters to our Peter Rabbit plush collection, and are also continuing to launch many more Boo, Grumpy Cat and Pusheen products."

Having had a very successful launch in the UK and Europe, the company is also adding more single characters and seasonal product to its Peanuts Collection.

Meanwhile, export continues to thrive for the company, with both European export offices - there's one in Berlin and one in France - showing growth over the past few years, with strong contributions coming from Germany, Scandinavia, Enesco: The Lowdown ❐ Enesco was founded in Chicago in 1958 by Holland, Belgium, France Gene Freedman. and Italy. "Overall ❐ Enesco Europe has two export divisions: a Berlin based the performance sales office covering Northern and Eastern Europe, the of all export Middle East and Africa and Enesco France, based in markets has been Nice, which covers France, Spain and Italy. ❐ Ken Johnson joined Enesco in 1985, and was appointed very encouraging," md of Enesco Europe in 2006. underlines Ken. ❐ Currently, the company employs 240 staff spanning its So what does he HQ in Carlisle, two factories and Enesco France. see as the Above: Boo by Gund is expanding with new line extensions.

Inset: Peanuts by Jim Shire: among the company's new single seasonal characters.

company's secret of success? "The gift industry has gone through a lot of change in recent times," he reflects. "There appears to be a lot of sameness in products across the markets. It's why, at Enesco, we keep a watch on trends to see what is useful to our company and its products. Disney, for example, is proven to be one of the rare global licences that has an appeal in every market. It can be likened to Willow Tree, which continues to be one of, if not the strongest gift collection worldwide."

When it comes to talking about retail however, Ken is realistic that it is still tough on the high street for many retailers. " The most common comment we hear from all channels of retail is that there is not enough footfall through the shops, despite reading reports that footfall is increasing. But, as yet, that's not what we're hearing. Online sales are strong though, and hopefully, as consumer confidence builds, people will begin to return to the high street. In fact, I'm hoping that now the General Election is over there will be more confidence going forward."

With retailers very much in mind especially independents, where the company tries its best to be as supportive as possible Ken is very much looking forward to catching up with customers at Autumn Fair in September. "We returned to Autumn Fair last year after an absence of several years and, after careful research and much discussion with the organisers, we took a small space in the Contemporary Gift hall. We were selective with the brands, showcasing Santoro’s Gorjuss, our own UK manufactured Contemporary Classics, Demdaco Arts Hearts, our Globe Collection, Willow Tree and our Peter Rabbit plush offering. But although we will continue to be selective again this year, we have taken a larger space at this September’s show, with the Brisa VW collection on course to be a strong feature."

With so much happening in the company over the coming months, what other ambitions does Ken have for Enesco Europe? "Over the years, we have created a strong company with a major presence in the gift collectable market across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and our ambition, with the support of our retailers and distributors, is to continue to grow that presence and to expand into other product areas whenever the opportunities arise," Ken states.

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TRENDS: GEO & PATTERN

Shaping Up

One of the biggest trends around now, and all set to go into 2016, is colourful geometric surface pattern.

PG&H takes a look at how it its â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;shaping upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; across the gift spectrum.

Above: GO stationery's Shimmer range.

Above right: Bright funky pens from Zebra.

Below: Customworks' Collier Campbell's Tropical Birds design glasses case.

Above: These Pop Band hair accessories echo the Geo trend.

Below right: This bright concertina file comes from Caroline Gardner's Geo range.

Top left: Kaleidoscope, the new Collier Campbell collection from Churchill China, is a mix of two patterns, Kandi and Quicksilver. Geo features on a mug design.

Above: Among Lagom's Salone giftwrap designs is a trendy Geo pattern.

Right: A colourful scarf from Disaster Designs.

Right middle: Ridleys Game Room Playing Card set from Wild & Wolf.

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In Profile: Signature Gifts

The Name

Game

Below left: Kevin Spindler, co-founder and director of Signature Gifts.

Below: Once Upon A Time, a current children's book favourite.

Bottom: 2015 Football Club books, among the best sellers for the company.

Few would disagree that personalisation is a huge business for the gift industry, with Signature Gifts spotting, some 12 years ago, that it's more than just a name on a keyring.

The brainchild of co-founders and directors Kevin Spindler and Mike Herbert, the business is continuing to go from strength to strength, with creativity and flexibility at the heart of the company's success.

With giftware, books and newspapers, as well as alcohol, among Signature's key markets, PG&H asked Kevin Spindler to reveal what the next chapter holds for the company.

For online retailers both big and small, mail order companies, and even the tiniest of gift shops in the tiniest of villages, Signature Gifts - which also has retail websites of its own - began as a retail only business.

As Kevin Spindler explains, determined to make the most of the internet, the original concept was to get into as many niche gift markets as possible. "We started off buying domain names for books, cufflinks and Tshirts, with the goal being to offer niche retail platforms online. Subsequently, as we expanded, we brought everything together under one brand, Signature Gifts."

A significant milestone for the company in 2004 was the merger that took place with Historic Newspapers - an established company in both the UK and USA. The

ongoing partnership has enabled Signature Gifts to work with all the main national newspaper titles, as well as with the New York Times, Dallas Morning News, Washington Post and the LA Times, which license the company to reproduce their newspapers. The partnership has resulted in continued growth, with people eager to take advantage of the opportunity to mark gifting occasions, such as milestone birthdays and anniversaries, with something unique to the recipient. Drawing

Signature Gifts: The Lowdown ❐ Signature Gifts was launched in 2003. ❐ The company's HQ is in Harpenden, Herts., with the UK newspaper archive housed in Wigtown in Scotland. ❐ Partners include Historic Newspapers and Signature PG, based in Stoke-On-Trent. ❐ The company employs over 200 people.

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on a massive pool of seven million newspapers, the company owns the largest private archive and can supply original newspapers for any date starting from 1801!

Front page news is also being made by another of the company's core personalised markets - books. Gift givers can choose from personalised Daily Mirror spoof newspapers and personalised football club and sport newspaper books to children's books.

"Every book has a bespoke minimum order of one!" confirms Kevin. Inspiration, naturally, comes from many sources, not least Kevin's own five year old son Finley.

"One of our newest book titles is First Day At School, written by Kat Grant, our trade marketing communications administrator, which came about because I wanted a book I could read to Finley before he started school last September." (In fact, Kat is proving to be an accomplished part of the company's team of authors, with other children's books in the pipeline).

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In Profile: Signature Gifts "We also have a new 'big brother, big sister' book for children who might feel left out when there's a new addition to the family," he continues. "Again, the idea came from bouncing ideas off each other."

While print and books are the two strongest sectors for the company, there is also a thriving division offering personalised alcohol, notably wines and spirits.

Explains Kevin, whose background was in the wine and spirit industry: "A huge business stream for these type of products are football clubs, where we already have contracts with Spurs, Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC, and hope to expand further."

In 2013, Signature Gifts teamed up with Debbi Hancock, founder of PGUK, to create Signature PG (SPG), a separate company that focuses on ceramics, glassware, engraving and embroidery, with Debbi utilising her wealth of experience in the gift industry to bring customers the widest and most extensive portfolio of personalised gifts possible. SPG has been through a period of investment, and has recently moved premises to a space that's over three times the size of its previous manufacturing warehouse, allowing Signature to concentrate on the print and book sides of the business as well as the retail arm.

Kevin says that the secret of the company's success is its flexibility and the

The Beautiful Game

Above: The Chilli-Bubbles ceramics collection.

Below left: Among the company's new glass sets.

Below right: Swarovski wine glasses.

fact that everything it offers is bespoke. "We are open to all companies of all sizes, whether online, mail order or bricks and mortar," he states. "No company is too big or too small. Also, given the additional sectors that we cover - greeting cards, calendars and diaries, along with ceramics, candles and glassware among them - we are a onestop-shop. We take all the hard work away from retailers so that all they have to do is place their orders."

Currently, the company is developing a new portal system, going live this year, whereby a customer can log in and place a one off order themselves, or provide an Excel or CSV file for multiple orders. "A new function will be an easy way for retailers to pull off information, to include images, retail prices, skus and even editorial copy at the click of a button. We've done the work for them."

More and more however, the company is being approached by businesses keen for them to do bespoke work on their behalf. "We love talking to people at the shows

Personalised football books score the winning goal as the company's best sellers. "The Premier League teams are neck and neck!" Kevin laughs. "We update the books at the end of every season, giving them a new look and additional content so that the books are fresh for supporters every time."

Also currently ringing up sales is Once Upon A Time, a collection of fairy tales that are illustrated by the company's in-house artists. "It has outsold every children's book and retailers tell us it is flying off the shelves. In fact, it's been so successful that we will shortly be offering the individual fairytales as separate illustrated books," reveals Kevin. "This concept basically evolved from our one of our first books, My Book of Nursery Rhymes, which has been a Christmas favourite for the last three years."

Does he have an emotional tie with any of the products? "It would have to be the football books," he enthuses. "These were a completely original concept when we started out and we essentially made them from nothing."

because we can bounce ideas off them and also test the market to see what they are looking for, which we then add to our HQ ideas board," explains Kevin. "While some stay on the drawing board, others leap off within 24 hours, and staff too, are very much encouraged to contribute."

So what will be taking Signature Gifts forward over the next 6-12 months?

"Definitely books, especially children's books, and the growth of our ceramics and giftware side of the business," Kevin confirms. "Not only will we be expanding what we do, but we will be looking at new markets. Plus, the bespoke possibilities with football clubs is continuing to grow. For example, we are currently working with Sunderland doing bespoke labels on a range of alcohol."

Kevin naturally sees personalisation as a market that still has a very long way to go and grow. "It would be hard for us to find something that we weren't able to personalise," he enthuses. "However, it is competitive, so we have to continue to raise the bar."

Meanwhile, preparations are underway for Autumn Fair in September. "We have significantly expanded our stand in Hall 5 and will be showing our full product range.

Obviously we're looking forward to catching up with visitors as their feedback is invaluable."

He says that what he loves most about jointly being at the helm of Signature Gifts is the flexibility and creativity. "There are so many doors open able to provide us with products," Kevin points out. "There's an openness about what we do. I love the fact that we can explore all these options and have fun doing it. The freedom to pick up on ideas is fantastic!"

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Focus On... Jewellery/Fashion Accessories

ARose GoldAutumn With themes ranging from sentiment and sparkle to silver and simplicity, jewellery is on course to dazzle this Autumn/Winter, with rose gold still a high flyer!

As Home & Gift, Harrogate, opens its doors this month, buying for the new season will be top of the list for most retailers, with jewellery and fashion accessories continuing to be 'must haves' in the run up to Christmas.

PG&H turned fashionista to ask the leading names in the sector for their expert views on what will be trending.

As summery colours and designs give way to Autumn and the run up to the Christmas party season, jewellery has been evolving to reflect the trends. "The Autumn/Winter season is always fun – a time, more than any other, when we indulge in the real theatre of the fashion accessory world," says Alex Machin, director of Hot Tomato. "We'll be embracing this spirit for our new collection and will be showcasing some fabulous party pieces across our range." Alex advises that trends to look out for include embellishments on textiles and statement sparkle pieces. "Colours are softer and more muted with the emphasis on the kind of luxury usually associated with precious metals and jewels," she adds.

Top and above: Reflecting the trends: circles, ovals, diamantes and rose gold from Dansk Smykkekunst.

Above right: Colourful, sparkly bracelets are part of Hot Tomato's new Autumn/Winter collection.

Below left: New from One Button.

Below right: JOMA'S new sentiment Story bangles.

At One Button, creative director Amanda Angless will be unveiling the company's latest collection, based around 'lost and found' and 'didn’t know how much we had missed'. "It sounds crazy, but our quirky levels have been turned up, our colour isn’t quiet and our beads are amazing!" she enthuses. "We're also launching brand new Silver 925 collections which have been created and crafted in house."

“When I create a collection I always take into account the newest trends, colours and styles," says Dansk Smykkekunst's creative designer Malene Storm. "Circle and oval shapes are a big trend in Scandinavia so I have developed the concept, adding this key trend to our new Autumn/Winter range which will be launching in July. Combining these simple shapes with leather and haematite has created new statement pieces," Malene confirms. The new collection

also includes cuff bracelets with diamante detailing in silver, gold and rose gold.

At JOMA Jewellery, creative director Katie Loxton highlights that Autumn/Winter is the company's sparkly season and always the most exciting in terms of design. "Our main new category has been introducing a collection of opening sentiment Story bangles," she states. "A lot of people know and love our carded 'a little' collection - tiny sentiment bracelets to collect and stack which we have expanded again this season, but we also wanted to introduce more sentiment into our core jewellery line. We have noticed a huge rise in sales of our bangles over the last six months and wanted to combine the two ideas to make something really special. The new collection has a totally

different feel to our 'a littles' but incorporates charm mantras to carry with you every day and is easy to stack high and collect."

Also new for JOMA this season is a black plating collection. "We have chosen this for some of our classic styles which gives them a little sparkle and is perfect for the run up to Christmas," continues Katie.

"Also, we still love the mixture of rose gold and silver together, which is quickly becoming one of the strongest emerging lines in our core collection. Our Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Focus On... Jewellery/Fashion Accessories Autumn/Winter collection has seen us build on this with classic heart collections through to a statement rose gold and black plating pave cushion mix collection."

While many jewellery companies will be sparkling this Autumn, for others it's been about keeping it simple. "This season, simplicity is key with simple colours, shapes and designs complementing the warmer tones of Autumn and winter fashions," explains Chris Holden, director of PoM. "Our jewellery team's smooth organic forms, with a natural matt silver finish, create a wonderful laid back look, while rose gold softens the clean lines of our sterling silver and long layered necklaces, adding to the overall feeling of comfort, warmth and luxury."

Above: Black patina earrings from JOMA. Above right: Colour is a big autumnal theme from Miss Milly.

Below: PoM's combination of simplicity, rose gold and warm tones of Autumn.

Above: La De Da Living's personalised jewellery collection enables consumers to buy a personalised gift in-store, with new designs being added for Autumn/Winter.

Also concentrating on simplicity is Autumn Lace, with md Marisa Hohaia, highlighting dainty, versatile pieces that can be layered or mixed and matched. "Rose gold is extremely popular and there is also a focus on metal and gemstones for the coming season," says Marisa. Our new Autumn/Winter collection, A Desert Rose, features both delicate floral designs and bold geometric shapes throughout the collection."

At Miss Milly, striking colour combinations will be leading the way this Autumn/Winter featuring cayenne orange, cranberry red and peacock blue, across both jewellery and scarves, enabling retailers to create striking in-store displays. The collection includes colourful new resin and enamel pieces in the company's flagship Floria Right: Joe Davies' new, two-tone jewellery.

Collection, with the gift boxed Amora collection introducing matt gold plating and rose gold plating, as well as delicate metallic floral jewellery.

"The new lines are in keeping with the fashion trends for the season, and an intense look at the planet and its volatility," explains md Sarah Watmore. "Look out for the warm autumnal tones of browns and oranges representing plants and natural extracts, the dark and fiery reds reminiscent of bold, volcanic eruptions and water-inspired blues and greys." She adds that there will also be a focus on colour combinations featuring bold and pale tones, to include magenta with grey or silver and navy.

Jewellery and fashion accessories are also continuing to grow in popularity for Joe Davies with sentiment jewellery going from strength to strength.

Comments buyer Mary Continued page 73

Stylishly Silver

For many people, silver jewellery remains a classic that's very easy to wear. "We will be increasing our range with the addition of more sterling silver earrings," confirms David Gee, md of The Music Gifts Company. "During the last year, there has been an increasing demand for more jewellery priced between ÂŁ20-ÂŁ30, allowing independent retailers to offer something different from the large high street outlets." David says it starts with a good design and finishes with a quality gift box. "It's important to maximise the appeal while making each piece affordable," he states.

"All our jewellery comes gift boxed which in turn is in a card outer box, which gives a better sense of occasion."

Also focusing on silver is Kit Heath, with the company's Dew sterling silver collection offering style and quality at affordable gifting prices. "We are introducing a lot of colour for Autumn/Winter," explains the company's creative director Kate Nickell. "Real stone combinations in amethyst, topaz and turquoise continue as key colours. With an array of vivid zirconia claw set designs also coming through, this is a strong collection ready to dazzle for the party season."

Kate adds that two and three tone gold plating is another strong trend for the company, and will continue through to the next season. "This has become a substantial offering within our collection, creating a mix of sterling silver and 14ct yellow or warming rose gold plate, with yellow gold proving the most popular."

Also continuing to do well with its silver ranges is Sea Gems. New charm style expandable bangles and bracelets, embellished with motifs and semi-precious stones, are a strong story in the company's Pure Origins collection which can be layered and stacked. Also new from Sea Gems are additions to the company's Celtic Lands silver range featuring intricate and ancient motifs set with Rainbow Moonstone and Rose Quartz.

Above right: Music to the ears: silver earrings, a new addition from The Music Gifts Company.

Right: A silver pendant from Sea Gems' Pure Origins range.

Left: Cubic zirconia continues to be a bestseller for Kit Heath and comes in an array of settings.

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Harrogate Advertisement 2015.pdf 1 15/06/2015 15:33:13

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All new for Harrogate

www.hot-tom.com 01225 422188

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Focus On... Jewellery/Fashion Accessories

Funky Fashion Accessories

Richards, “Equilibrium has become a recognised brand for retailers and their customers making it a destination purchase."

She reveals that two-tone jewellery, combining silver and rose gold plating, will also be a huge feature of the company's Autumn/Winter collection. "Crystal ‘bling’, which has seen massive growth for us over the last year, will also continue to have a heavy presence within our range, with statement pieces key for the second half of the year.” Following customer demand, the company is also launching a compact collection of Christmas specific jewellery.

Meanwhile, '70s fever is alive and well on the catwalks for another season says Carrie Shapiro, creative director at Carrie Elspeth. Her new Autumn/Winter collection incorporates many of the earthy colours of the hippie chic trends, as well as the bling of Above: Rainbow haematite is part of the new collection from Carrie Elspeth.

Below: A new look India tea tin inspired collection from Kate Hamilton-Hunter.

the hot glitzy/glam styles that are flooding the high street. “Gift shops can’t go wrong with accessories in purple and green, as well as anything glittering, with a spectrum of rainbow sparkle," states Carrie. She adds that sleek black is also really hot this season, based on the Victoriana Noir trend. "It's all about frills and sumptuous layers, or a focus on pearls and precious stones for fashionistas who are following the new ladylike styles of neat skirts and fitted jackets in tweed,” Carrie explains.

With fashion leading the way, jewellery suppliers are certainly putting on the glitz across a wide spectrum of designs, leaving gift shops spoilt for choice!

Scarves are a winner all year round, but especially for Autumn/Winter.

At PoM, metallic silver, gold and copper detail will be adding a touch of sparkle to the company's scarf collection, with soft wool and silk keeping out the winter chill. "All our scarves are super soft and hand printed with bold rich patterns," highlights director Chris Holden.

At Miss Milly, new lines have been designed to add bright colour to an outfit. "As we approach the festive season, crystal and sparkle will once again become a sought after component in jewellery, scarves and wraps," says md Sarah Watmore. "Retailers should be on the lookout for intricate detailing, mosaics and tiling as well as graffiti and typography," she emphasises.

Meanwhile, at One Button, the company's scarves and gloves co-ordinate with its jewellery and bag collections. "Think of the softest faux fur and silhouette shaped printed trees, as well as warm, cosy knit funky gloves which are captured in our Hem & Edge winter collections," creative director Amanda Angless highlights.

But, of course, it's not just about fashion.

"Accessories are our strongest growth area," says Amanda Fergusson, sales director at Caroline Gardner.

She confirms that the company will be releasing lots of new designs for Autumn/Winter, to include wash and cosmetic bags, coin purses, key rings and canvas bags.

"People are looking for bright, bold and trend-led, with the striking designs of our Geo and Chroma ranges embellished further with neon and metallic detailing," Amanda emphasises. "For a more playful look, there's our Muchly Lovely character range too."

At Wild & Wolf, the new Ted Baker prints have created layer upon layer of decadent blooms in the new Shadow Floral print.

Comments Sarah Plenty, licensing and marketing co-ordinator: "The collection features best sellers, with the new Autumn/Winter prints direct from the catwalk.

These include a foldable glasses case, giftwrap book, manicure set, travel organiser, notebook, bento box, touch screen pens and travel accessories."

Also ensuring that glasses wearers are right on trend is Customworks, with director Jackie Scott confirming that the company's latest collection of glasses cases and matching lens cloths will be key to Customworks' offer for Autumn/Winter.

"Retailing at £10, this has proved to be a great gift product and was short-listed for Gift of the Year 2015," confirms Jackie. Classic patterns Top: Caroline Gardner's Chroma coin purse. include William Morris, Klimt’s The Kiss, retro Above left: Wild & Wolf's patterns from Collier Campbell, as well as new new Ted Baker fashion accessories collection. additions to the Julie Dodsworth collection.

Watches too, are becoming ever Above: Julie Dodsworth designs for Customworks. more popular for gift shops, helping to Left: Focusing on the travelling man, Staag has push up the average spend. Brand launched Connaught, a new for Autumn 2015, Dansk range of upmarket leather Smykkekunst will be launching two goods, with brass fittings. new watch designs in four key shades - silver, gold, black and rose-gold. "With Christmas in mind, we will also be including brand new knitted scarves and handbag designs," confirms creative designer Malene Storm.

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest jewellery gift products to be showcased this month.

Inspired By Nature

Rainbow Haematite For the party season there is always a demand for sparkle, and these haematite beads shine with a fabulous sense of fun and disco glamour as their vivid spectrum patination creates an infinite number of colourful variations. Choose from two bold styles, each with bags of character and panache, including Faceted which gives the impression of mini disco-balls sparkling in every direction. Visit stand DP1-36 to see the full Autumn collection comprising 16 brand new ranges.

Carrie Elspeth Tel: 01446 771271 Email: sales@carrieeslpeth.com www.carrieelspeth.com

Silver jewellery brand Pure Origins is fresh and contemporary, with whimsical, romantic and nature inspired themes, delicately textured with gold vermeil, gemstones and pearls. Additions to the Celtic Lands silver range sees intricate, ancient motifs set with Rainbow Moonstone and Rose Quartz. Vibrant fine enamel jewellery with Mackintosh, Celtic and wildlife designs complete this diverse heritage collection. Inspired gift ranges include contemporary crystal pens, touch stylus for all touch screen devices, compact mirrors, pillboxes, bookmarks and scarf-rings.

Sea Gems Tel: +44 (0)1736 335840 Email: sales@seagems.co.uk www.seagems.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall C Stand C15

Mix 'n' Match Earrings

All Set To Sparkle Harrogate Home & Gift is Joe Davies’ launchpad for the company's new Autumn/Winter collection. This year, over 2000 exciting new products will be on display on the company's brand new Hall Q stand (Q50). Among the Equilibrium highlights are a new, modern three tone series rose gold combinations, pavé jewellery and new sentiment and children’s jewellery. The men’s collection has also been greatly extended. New fashion accessories include scarves, hats, gloves and bags, many of them boxed.

Joe Davies Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand Q50

Making A Statement Hot Tomato has come up with some truly glamorous and affordable statement pieces in clever colour palettes for the coming season. Specialising across a whole spectrum of fashion accessories, Hot Tom always unveil their Autumn/Winter collection at the Harrogate show. This year they have excelled themselves with over 300 new designs to be revealed for the first time at Home & Gift.

Hot Tomato Tel: 01225 422188 Email: sales@hot-tomatouk.com www.hot-tom.com Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-11

Pink Broccoli's new lines launching for Winter 15/16 include a mix and match set of grey glass faceted bead earrings, which come with a grey tassel set, and can be worn as an 'odd set', offering something different. Trade customers can order online using a promo code before they checkout, reducing their bill to trade value, and offering a quick, easy route to top up orders. Min spend £75. Request the trade promo code from Karen at Pink Broccoli.

Pink Broccoli Email: Karen@pinkbroccoli.co.uk www.pinkbroccoliapparel.com

Layered Necklaces Talbot Fashions has new lines in stock now. Layered necklaces are really on trend at present with new designs that include semi-precious and metal detail. The company has also added several new bangles to their sentiment jewellery range, along with origami style pendants, men’s stainless steel bracelets and lots more.

Talbot Fashions Tel: 0044 1273-776415 Email: info@talbotfashions.com www.talbotfashions.com

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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925 sterling silver

Harrogate Home & Show.

19-22nd July STAND C15

www.seagems.co.uk

sales@seagems.co.uk - +44(0)1736 335840 Š All designs protected by Sea Gems Copyright & Design Right.

Carrie Elspeth EXCLUSIVE DESIGNER JEWELLERY H A N D M A D E I N WA L E S

Come and view the Autumn Collection at Harrogate, Home & Gift, DP1-36 Tel: 01446 771271 Email: sales@carrieelspeth.com www.carrieelspeth.com

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest in fashion accessories to be showcased this month.

Trend Setting Collections JayLey Collection is a UK specialist supplier of fashion clothing and accessories. Our collections consist of trend-setting kimonos, jackets, ponchos, gilets, wraps, hats, gloves, scarves and many more fashion accessories, all produced in the finest of fabrics with new designs added weekly.

JayLey Collection Tel: +44 (0) 1782642534 Email: sales@jayleycollection.com www.jayleycollection.com Home & Gift: Hall C Stand C23

British Designed Compacts Charles Mallory London present their exclusive collection of British designed powder and mirror compacts. Made of solid brass, plated in gold and exquisitely packaged, a Charles Mallory compact feels special in the hand. Each lid is host to a beautiful work of art including designs by the renowned textiler William Morris. These engravable heirlooms make the perfect handbag accessory for beauty on the move.

Charles Mallory London Tel: 02036 370371 Email: sales@charlesmallory.com www.charlesmallory.com

Silk Devore & Vintage Lace A leading UK specialist supplier of fashion clothing and accessories, JayLey produce their collections in the finest of fabrics including furs, cashmere, silk devore, suedette, faux fur and vintage lace. They add new designs to their trendsetting collections weekly, operating with quick response times and in stock availability.

JayLey Collection Tel: +44 (0) 1782642534 Email: sales@jayleycollection.com www.jayleycollection.com Home & Gift: Hall C Stand C23

Printed Scarves Equilibrium scarves from Joe Davies make the perfect impulsive gift. The scarves are available in a variety of fresh, up-to-date, original designs and fabrics and retail from just ÂŁ4.99. Joe Davies customers report people buying four or five at a time, especially nearer Christmas, with the company introducing dozens of new scarves at Harrogate Home & Gift Fair (Hall Q, Stand Q50). The scarves are joined by new hats and gloves that complement the range.

Joe Davies Tel: 0162 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand Q50

Classic Beano Leading tie and accessories manufacturer Fox & Chave have joined the classic Beano licensing programme. They have developed a range of Beano neck ties, using classic artwork from The Beano comic archive, including The Beano Since 1938 guide, which celebrates typography, iconic artwork and characters from the British comic. Fox & Chave will be adding other products soon, such as cufflinks. For more details on The Beano licensing programme contact Ian Downes.

Start Licensing Tel: 0208337 7958 Email: ian@startlicensing.co.uk

Keeping It Simple This season, simplicity is key for Peace of Mind. Simple colours, shapes and designs complement the warmer tones of autumn and winter fashions. With wonderful new elements added to their sterling silver and silver plated range being echoed in their highly desirable scarf collection, they have created a welcome feeling of comfort, warmth and luxury.

Peace Of Mind Tel: 01225 777749 Email: sales@pom925.com www.pom925.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand 103

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Sterling Silver Jewellery

Call us for our new season catalogue... coming soon for Autumn www.kitheathretailer.com Tel 01271 329123 Email sales@kitheath.com

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Face To Face: Dansk Smykkekunst

A Jewel

Of AYear

It’s a special year for family-run Danish jewellery company Dansk Smykkekunst, owned by Malene and Christian Storm, as it celebrates a successful 10 year collaboration anniversary with P&A Agencies, which distributes the company's products in the UK and Ireland.

PG&H put Dansk's creative designer Malene Storm into the hot seat to discover what’s taking the award winning company to a new level this year.

Scandinavian design has long been look at different markets to create recognised for its clean lines and stylish designs that appeal to a variety of simplicity, with UK distributor Peter women. For example, when I'm creating a treasured pieces in women’s wardrobes O'Loughlin, md of P&A Agencies, originally new collection, I'm inspired by the various across the world. It's fantastic being able to spotting the potential for Dansk colours, textures and materials seen on the create pieces which help women feel Smykkekunst in 2005 at the design-led gift catwalks and runways around the world, with beautiful and special when they wear them." show Formland, which is held in Denmark our next collection featuring a variety of She believes the secret of the each year. jewellery and knitted scarves in burgundy company's success in such a competitive Over the ensuing years, Dansk has one of the big colour trends in the fashion market place comes down to its ethos - to continued to go from strength to strength on industry next season." make fashionable jewellery at affordable a global stage, one of five companies to prices. "Our collections are quite large, receive the King Frederik the Ninth Honorary consisting of approximately 400 different Award last year. Explains creative pieces in a variety of styles which have a designer Malene Storm: "The wide audience appeal," highlights Malene. company was recognised "Therefore, we aim to keep evolving and for its exemplary efforts taking chances in our designs, but, at the Top: Dansk's Malene on the Danish export same time, we are not afraid to keep popular and Christian Storm. market, with this designs from earlier collections. We are not Right: Diamante detailing adds prestigious award out to make big fashion statements. Instead, sparkle to Dansk's presented to A family run we aim to design pieces that can be worn on new collection.

Inset: Oval shapes are currently a big Christian and myself business for over 40 a daily basis." trend in Scandinavia, with Dansk aboard The Royal years, offering one Looking to the coming months, Malene combining the trend with black leather for Autumn/Winter.

Yacht Dannebrog by of Scandinavia's says that the company wants to keep Henrik, His Royal largest collections of focusing on designing pieces in a variety of Highness The Prince fashion jewellery and styles and materials that suit and appeal to Consort. It was a huge accessories, Malene women in all walks of life. "We also hope to honour and a privilege for says she loves the establish ourselves further on the social us both." variation in her workdays network market to strengthen the Dansk While Christian looks after the day-toas well as the opportunity to Smykkekunst brand enabling us to engage day running of the company, Malene is be able to create something more closely with our customers. But our Dansk's creative designer, taking her new. "It means a lot to me to first priority, as always, is to have fun doing inspiration both from the Scandinavian know that many of our designs are it!" she laughs. fashion scene, as well as from the feedback Dansk Smykkekunst: The Lowdown she receives from the company's customers, ❐ Dansk Smykkekunst was established by Christian Storm's stepfather in 1971. distributors and agents. ❐ Christian joined the company in 2000, followed by his wife Malene eight years ago.

"Naturally, I'm very influenced by ❐ Dansk jewellery is currently sold in 11 European countries through 1500 distributors to include Scandinavian design," states Malene, "which the UK, USA, Canada and Russia. ❐ Going forward, the company is looking to expand its territories in Eastern Europe.

I believe is one of our key strengths. I also Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Spotlight On: Nursery/Children’s

Below: This delightful photo of Prince George and his baby sister Princess Charlotte, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, has seen all things 'baby' back in the media recently. (George is wearing Rachel Riley and Amai with Charlotte in a jumper bought in a Spanish baby shop by the children's nanny).

According to new research from CottonUSA, the average newborn baby receives around 14 gifts when it's born, worth some £252. When this is totted up, based on the average number of babies born each year, it reveals that generous Brits are spending some £200m on 11 million presents!

PG&H spoke to gift suppliers to see what's trending this Autumn for both babies and children.

It's no secret that people enjoy spending money on gifts for babies and children, with quality, and often a licence, at the heart of a buying decision.

“We're looking forward to bringing out some new additions to our baby licensed character ranges this Autumn," confirms Anthony Temple, md of Rainbow Designs. "Illustrated stacking blocks will be joining our Peppa Pig for Baby range, along with a three piece breakfast set in the Guess How Much I Love You range, and a Flopsy Bunny pullalong in the Peter Rabbit collection. We're also looking forward to introducing wooden picture blocks in both the Peter Rabbit and Guess How Much I Love You ranges."

Anthony says that literary classics, such as Peter Rabbit and Guess How Much I Love You, will always prove popular, largely due to the familiarity and core values of the childhood characters that parents have grown up with.

Left: Peppa Pig stacking blocks from Rainbow Designs.

Below left: A runaway success, Xpressions 4 U's Frozen merchandise.

Below right: A Peter Rabbit mug and soft toy set is brand new from Enesco.

"However independents should also be aware of the new trend of product born of entertainment brands, that are primarily driven by television, such as the iconic Peppa Pig brand. In both instances, parents and grandparents feel they are in safe hands with these trusted brands.”

Explains Anthony, “It's the products that offer added value that are really seeing success off the shelf. For example, extra educational components, such as interactive voice and music chips that stimulate recognition and learning, are certainly on the increase.

Coupled with educational components such as ABC’s, 123’s or a peek-a-boo surprise, they provide key ingredients. Plus, blended with the cuddle factor of a soft toy they create a winning combination.”

"Licences over the past year or so have heavily influenced the children’s gift sector with merchandise in Frozen and Minions particularly driving enormous growth," concurs Peter Goodman of Xpressions 4 U. "There will be new 'freshness' in these two properties this year, plus for boys, the

new Star Wars film release, supported with lots of gifting, is bound to heavily influence this sector of the market."

Helen Shields, director of marketing at Enesco, agrees that the demand is continuing for branded and licensed nursery and children's gifts. "This summer we are adding new products to our Beatrix Potter collection, from mug and soft toy gift sets to an egg cup and spoon set, as well as a Peter Rabbit back pack," she highlights.

With so many buying decisions taken by yummy mummies and trendy grandparents, interestingly, colours remain gender specific. “Pink and blue continue to be the dominant colours, with elements of shabby chic becoming more and more prominent," states David Cree, sales manager at Joe Davies. "For example, we have combined sentiment with shabby chic in our new Provence collection of nursery frames and plaques, which will be launched at Home & Gift, Harrogate, following on from the success of our Provence homewares collection."

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Spotlight On: Nursery/Children’s

Also strong for the company are nursery gifts with messages, with sentiment nursery gifts featuring strongly in the company's new Autumn/Winter collection.

"Wooden gifts too, have also seen a massive growth," David adds.

At Widdop Bingham, marketing manager Sue Grant highlights new developments in the company's nursery and children’s collections for Autumn/Winter, starting with Petit Cheri, a baby collection which reflects the vintage and handcrafted trend.

"Pink and blue, the firm favourite for many baby gifts, have always been viewed at the more traditional end of the spectrum," says Sue. "However, this too, is changing.

Simple stylish pink and blue collections

are modernising this style in new and innovative ways, with a chalky look to the colour palette."

Also highlighting gender specific pink and blue for babies is Piers Croke, sales director of Gisela Graham. "There's no getting away from it," says Piers, "the consumer insists on pink for a girl and blue for a boy - although I’m Continued on page 85

Top: Widdop Bingham's new gifts from Disney include Magical Moments, a collection of Disney figurines, Christmas ornaments and tin money boxes.

Above: Joe Davies' Buttons and Bows range.

Right: Petit Cheri from Widdop Bingham.

Let's Go Fly A Kite Regardless of the weather, children still love to play outside whenever they can. "Outdoor play is an incredibly popular part of our range, with more parents choosing to spend quality time with their children in the great outdoors which is reflected in their choices," says Lauren Woodsford, marketing manager at House of Marbles. "Classics such as miniature kites, windmills and the children’s garden tool set are well-loved favourites with our customers. Meanwhile, for Autumn/Winter, we have some fabulous new toys coming out including an Eye Spy range, a Flying Pig money box and a Squirty bow tie!"

Above: Pink is still the most popular colour for little girls, say Gisela Graham.

The Price Is Right

As the economy has improved, so companies are raising their game, with Tania James Price, creative director at the Flower Stork, going more upmarket.

"For Autumn/Winter 2015 we will again be extending our offering in the mid to higher range price points, with a particular focus on extending the product ranges in relation to relevant gift sets," confirms Tania. "This is in contrast to the last two to three years, where the focus was on the lower to mid-range price points. Gift sets with a selection of well packaged items continue to appeal.

At Joe Davies, sales manager David Cree says that while price is still key, it is vital that quality and design are not compromised. "We strive to ensure as many products as possible stay below that important £10 retail price point while ensuring quality and design," David comments.

Adds Lauren Woodsford, marketing manager at House of Marbles: "We have kept prices low to help encourage impulse buys which are very important for small independent gift shops."

Below: The Flower Stork will be introducing hooded towels and baby soft wash cloths this Autumn.

Above: Having fun with a miniature pocket kite from House of Marbles.

Right: New from House of Marbles for Autumn/Winter a Flying Pig money box.

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Handmade in Great Britain

Handmade in Great Britain

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Spotlight On: Nursery/Children’s

The Princess Charlotte Effect

informed that in Poland, pink is the traditional colour for baby boys!"

Colour aside, personalisation has become another huge trend in the nursery market place. At La De Da Living, baby spoons remain at the top of the company's best sellers list. "Come Autumn/Winter, we see a huge rise in our personalised spoons where we offer our stockists a 'bespoke service in store'," explains co-founder and director Dominique Fracasso-Stroud. "For example, My First Christmas is a huge hit as it feature's the child’s name and year."

With baby and children's giftware becoming an all-year-round best seller for gift shops, it's clearly a buyer's market.

Above: Xpression 4 U's Baby Bears, in pink and blue. From this Autumn, they will be available in a new baby safe format.

Below: Baby love: a christening spoon from La De Da Living.

Baby Clothes The Winner One in five Britons state that a gift for a newborn must look 'stylish' or 'fashionable', with the most popular gifts for newborn babies: ❐ Clothes (52%) ❐ Baby grows (31%) ❐ Bed linen/blanket (25%) ❐ Moses baskets (6%) ❐ Books (5%) ❐ Rattles (4%) (Source: USACotton)

For many companies in Stoke-on-Trent, the kilns went into overdrive when Buckingham Palace made the announcement that the Duchess of Cambridge had given birth to a little princess.

As Peter Smith of Dunoon puts it: "there was the usual panic to get our Princess Charlotte mug off the kiln, but we achieved it within a week from the naming to the delivery of orders. It also helped that the Royal baby was a girl," Peter continued, "with our retailers confirming that there would be more sales if it was a princess."

Burleigh too, worked flat out to cover orders placed for its commemorative mug. “Our customers have gone Princess Charlotte crazy, and we’ve noticed much stronger interest in our mugs made for the new Princess than those for her older brother," commented Sebastian Lazell, md of Burleigh. "We are getting orders not just from the UK but from around the world.”

Another company 'hot off the kiln' was Hudson and Middleton. "We produced our own espresso tankard and pill box which sold into the National Trust range," said md Mike Shirley.

Above: Dunoon's pink and gold Princess Charlotte mug.

Left: Burleigh's commemorative mug to mark the Princess’ arrival.

What Else Is Trending?

According to Tonton Pelczynski, RJB Stone’s head designer, there has been a trend for kid’s rooms to get more sophisticated. "Grown-ups want their kid’s rooms to be as stylish as the rest of the house and also, less obviously childish interiors will grow better with the child," says Tonton. "Animals are brilliant in kids’ rooms and can bring humour, popping up in unexpected places such as on walls as hooks or soft furnishings. Woodland animals like owls and foxes have been on trend for some time and are joined by jungle animals especially elephants and giraffes," she adds.

"For older children, animals are totally in, especially foxes," concurs Piers Croke, sales director at Gisela Graham.

"Constructive, learning toys too, are ever more popular with mums and kids, and, with this in mind, Gisela Graham has designed two new nursery/children’s room collections launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate - one that's nautically themed for boys called Nauti-Boys featuring pirates, whales, sailors and boats, while for girls its ballerinas with tutu-ed girls and unicorns." (Collections comprise jolly, printed bags, satchels, aprons in canvas and PVC and useful things for the bedroom such as bookends, coathangers and pencil cases).

At Churchill China, retail marketing communications manager Cara Roberts highlights the company's children's range Little Rhymes, which is coming up to its fifth birthday. "We've seen huge growth in this area and like to design products so that the packaging adds value and is always reusable."

Above left: RJB Stone's animal hearts.

Above right: Launching at Harrogate, Nauti-Boys from Gisela Graham.

Left: Little Rhymes Three Little Pigs collection, from Churchill China, will be unveiled at Home & Gift.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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by Orange Tree Toys

AUTUMNFAIR

If you would like to request a catalogue or require any information, we would love to hear from you!

Ą-ć SEPT Āþÿă STAND āUĂĀ

T: 01242 244500 E: sales@orangetreetoys.com

NEC BIRMINGHAM

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest Children/Nursey gift products to be showcased this month.

Cuckoo Expands This year, Cuckoo has totally transformed its collection adding the fabulous MiYim organic cotton baby plush line, the imaginative Calafant cardboard craft kits, the wonderful Lumoo Make Me Felt Friends, the quirky Escabbo bath toy collection, and the wacky Deglingos plush and Mistinguettes dolls. Most recently we have been appointed the UK and Ireland distributor for Small World Toys.

Cuckoo Tel: 01937 848460 Email: info@cuckoo.ltd.uk www.cuckoo.ltd.uk Home & Gift Harrogate: Hall A Stand A3

Tins To Treasure Keep your little treasures 'treasures' safe in these gorgeous storage tins from The Bright Side. Featuring the unique hand stamped lettering synonymous with The Bright Side, these hinged lid tins will hide a multitude of sins and look beautiful on any bookcase, shelf or cupboard. The foil lettering make them directly appealing to children of any ages, hopefully encouraging mess control!

Really Good UK Tel: 01235 537888 Email: ello@reallygood.uk.com www.reallygood.uk.com Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-16

Peppa Pig Hair Collection Our seven day, 35 piece hair collection includes seven snap clips and seven mini ponios with printed Peppa Pig applications, plus 21 plain ponios. At a retail price of £8 this is a must have product. The Back Pack with Hair Accessories includes a comb, mirror plus eight hair accessories. This wearable accessory carry case is excellent value for money at a retail price of £7.

Rudolf Stein Tel: 0117 300 3081 Email: sales@rudolfstein.com www.rudolfstein.com

Stylish Piggy Banks The extensive GiftScribes range of piggy banks is being added to, with four new designs launching at Harrogate. The range comes in a wide choice of styles, all made from sturdy ceramic with a hardwearing glaze and raised artwork. The smaller versions are supplied in a gift box covered in silk finish paper. All feature a removable stopper and a slot for a £2 coin.

GiftScribes Tel: 01584 811 190 Email: sales@giftscribes.co.uk www.giftscribes.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall D Stand D42

Blocks For Babies New to our Guess How Much I Love You collection this summer are beautiful wooden picture blocks, 16 illustrated cubes featuring letters of the alphabet and illustrations, along with a three-piece breakfast set featuring the renowned line ‘I love you to the moon and back’. A new addition to our Peppa Pig for Baby collection are six stacking blocks featuring numbers and illustrations to help little ones learn.

Rainbow Designs Tel: 01329 227 300 Email: sales@rainbowdesigns.co.uk www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-64

Personalised Adventure Story Signature Gifts’ newest release in their personalised children’s book range takes your child on an amazing round-the-world trip with the eccentric Phileas Fox. The child’s name appears throughout the rhyming text as he or she samples the delights and landmarks of the countries visited. Including any name and your message, this book is printed in full colour and available in either a hard or soft cover. Retail price starts at £9.99. Visit our website for more details.

Signature Gifts Tel: 01582 464809 www.signature-gifts.co.uk

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Se S Ha e Y ta ll ou n d D at 4 Ha 2 rro ga te

When I’m all grown up Every little Princess needs somewhere to start saving for her dreams; even if she spends it on the treats now and again!

The GiftScribes range of traditional piggy banks make a perfect gift for girls or boys and our fun collection of unique, contemporary money boxes include a castle, football, Choo Choo train, elephant and a moolicious cow!

Order now from a range of coloured paint pens to personalise any piggy bank or money box by hand, (errors are easily wiped away!) All are made from sturdy ceramic with a hardwearing glaze and brightly coloured, themed artwork and everyone will take a £2 coin.

Proven demand • Good margins • Small minimum orders • Personal service

www.giftscribes.co.uk

eMail: sales@giftscribes.co.uk Call: 01584 811 190 Piggy Banks

GiftScribes Gifts Limited, 31 Boraston Drive, Burford, Tenbury Wells, Shropshire, WR15 8AG

Piggy Banks

Piggy Banks

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A Global Perspective: Thailand

Thai-ing Into Trends Thailand has long been the hub for deign-led gifts and lifestyle products, with the recent Bangkok International Gift Fair (BIG) and Bangkok International Housewares Fair (BIH) delivering on all fronts.

From award winning design excellence to eco friendly products, the show, which took ASEAN: Life+Style as its theme, saw international visitors soar by 24%.

PG&H reveals some of the trends seen at the show, which included a focus on nature, florals and steel art, alongside a bright blue colour palette.

Above: PG&H's editor Sue Marks (centre) was among the international journalists invited out to BIG+BIH, held in Bangkok in mid April.

The show attracted over 42,000 visitors.

Right: Jewellery was among the product sectors reflecting florals.

Above, above right, right and below: Leaves were a big trend at the show, seen in steel furniture, wall art, table mats and coasters as well as floor coverings such as rugs.

Right: Showing its green credentials, environmentallyfriendly wood spanned bowls, vases and lamp bases in addition to furniture items.

Above and above left: Blue was everywhere at BIG, reflected in soft furnishings as well as tableware and decorative home accessories.

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Ravensden Plc Ravensden Farm, Bedford Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire NN10 0SQ England.

Telephone +44 (0) 1933 356221 Fax + 44 (0) 1933 410108 Email office@ravensden.co.uk www.ravensdenonline.com www.ravensden.co.uk

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate, 19-22 July 2015

20th Birthday Launch At Home & Gift, Harrogate, The Music Gifts Company will be celebrating its 20th birthday with the launch of an entirely new range of men’s gifts, element.“We are delighted to announce a new range of gifts aimed to cater for a wide variety of hobbies and interests. Products at launch include mugs, coasters, cufflinks, socks, hankies, keyrings and pin badges,” comments David Gee, md and founder.

"Over the past few years, we have seen a tremendous growth in the popularity and demand for men’s gifts,” continues David. “During the past 12 months alone, sales of socks, for example, have increased by more than 25% and this is the trend across the board. With 20 years experience in designing and supplying gifts to the trade, we have taken great care to ensure that the brand has the right key elements, even down to the name 'element' in which the word 'men' is highlighted."

For its collection of cufflinks, element has created a unique bespoke gift box. For the mugs and coasters, local illustrator Vikki Gibson has been commissioned to create a stunning range of images and is planning to attend the launch at Harrogate. “We are really excited about the new brand,” states David. “We have spent many months putting the collection together and feel that what we have created appeals perfectly to an important market sector.”

The Music Gifts Company Tel: 01202 57 00 57 Email: info@elementgifts.com / orders@musicgifts.co.uk www.elementgifts.com / www.musicgifts.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Stand

It's Official New to the flock for Harrogate is our official Rugby World Cup Shaun the Sheep soft toy. Shaun is wearing the official Rugby World Cup shirt and is available in two colours (white and blue). The soft toys are available in two sizes and as a window stick-on - a must have for all rugby fans. Also making its debut is our brand new updated Paddington Movie collection which will be available from October.

Rainbow Designs Tel: 01329 227 300 Email: sales@rainbowdesigns.co.uk www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-64

Personalised Christmas Decorations Frames & Albums Kenro’s extensive range of gift albums and frames has been expanded to include the Cottage Flower, the Candy and the Summer Breeze album series and a Patchwork baby album series.

New gift frames include various wooden, ‘shabby chic’ designs, the Milton and Toulon ‘distressed’ series and the smart modern Lytton series.

New metal frames include the Chloe 6"x4”, the silver plated Flower series, the Symphony copper series and new sizes and colours in the Whisper classic series.

Kenro Tel: 01793 615836 Email: sales@kenro.co.uk www.kenro.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall B Stand B24

GiftScribes is launching a series of beautiful new hanging Christmas decorations at Harrogate. A variety of dainty angels and happy young couples all feature pretty smiles and angelic eyes, set in front of Christmas trees, stars, crowns and decorated front doors. Every decoration is made from high quality poly resin, comes with a gift bag and hanging ribbon and can be personalised at the point of sale.

GiftScribes Tel: 01584 811 190 Email: sales@giftscribes.co.uk www.giftscribes.co.uk

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e ll D 2 gat Ha nd 4 arro a St u at H o eY

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Every Christmas can be unique Your customers will love a product range that enables them to decorate the tree and ‘deck the halls’ with highly collectable, unique keepsakes.

GiftScribes have added more hanging decorations to the ‘Special Moments’ Christmas collection for 2015 and all are personalisable at the point of sale. This enables every individual gift to be thoughtful, personal and added to every year to create a very special, personal collection.

All product lines are available year round, supplied with hanging ribbon and manufactured to a long-lasting high quality, with attention to detail and a huge choice of themed designs.

Proven demand • Good margins • Small minimum orders • Personal service

www.giftscribes.co.uk

Christmas

by GiftScribes Gifts

eMail: sales@giftscribes.co.uk Call: 01584 811 190 GiftScribes Gifts Limited, 31 Boraston Drive, Burford, Tenbury Wells, Shropshire, WR15 8AG

To view the full range of Intelex products please visit

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o f t Toys S e l b a t a He Christmas

Warming the nation since 1995

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate, 19-22 July 2015

Beer Bottle Topper Lesser & Pavey bring something different to the male gift market in the form of a beer topper.

This large standing version comes in three designs - Beer oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock, Free Beer Tomorrow and Ice Cold Beer. Fun and practical, there are smaller versions using the same design as well as a beer tankard to match.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: (+44) 01322 29225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M14

Boxing Pretty Lesser and Pavey introduce a new range of social stationery featuring glitter red shoes and matching nail polish illustrations.

Tres Luxe cases come in various size and shapes. Boxes are available in sets with a suitcase, travel case and vanity case sets consisting of two different sizes. Made from quality materials, with leather effect handles, edging and brass catches and studwork, they make a perfect gift.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: (+44) 01322 29225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M14

Fresh As A Daisy New from the Lesser and Pavey in-house designers is Daisy, which is ready to order.

The range encompasses wallet, purse, zip bag, wash bag, backpack, tote bag, gift bags, memo pads and organiser, fine china mugs, teacup and saucer, travel mug, shoppers bag, shoulder bag, cooler bag, umbrellas and saddle bag. Made of quality laminate cotton canvas fabric, Daisy has quality written all over it as well as being fashionable and priced to please the consumer.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: (+44) 01322 29225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M14

A Door Opener Charming Scottie dog doorstops will be shown alongside many other doorstop designs at the Harrogate fair this July on the Lesser & Pavey stand.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: (+44) 01322 29225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M14

Vintage Vehicles Pretty And Blue Lesser & Pavey introduce William Kilburn designs of chinaware to Harrogate buyers. This enchanting new range comes in red, green and blue and comprises a tier cake stand, fine china mugs, travel mug, melamine trays, coasters and jugs. Eye-catching and practical, Lesser & Pavey are sure buyers will find this range irresistible as well as affordable with quality designs and presentation packaging.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: (+44) 01322 29225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M14

Lesser & Pavey has a wonderful range of metal vehicles which form the vintage transport range covering motorbike, bus, scooter, cars, black taxi, tractor, train, planes and delivery van. Each one is a replica of the real machine and comes in great detail. A must have man's gift.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: (+44) 01322 29225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M14

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Crisp, clean scents. Perfect for any home. available from

For more info please email sales@xystos.co.uk or call 0191 499 1570

See our full line up of NEW fragrances at

For more info please email sales@xystos.co.uk or call 0191 499 1570

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate, 19-22 July 2015

Miss Smith Launches

Make It Personal A range of engraving and laser marking machines will be presented by Gravograph on stand D31.

Gravograph equipment is widely used within the industry to personalise giftware made of any material including wood, glass, metal, plastic and more… Low cost desktop computerised systems, to high volume production machines, are available from only £25 per week on finance, including full UK support and onsite installation and training.

Gravograph Tel: 01926 884433 Email: info@gravograph.co.uk www.gravograph.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall D Stand D49

Lesser & Pavey, which has been working with independent card company Hearts Designs for the past six years, will be launching Miss Smith at Harrogate. The range comprises manicure sets, compact mirror, key ring, wine glasses, money boxes, gift bags, umbrellas, fine china mugs, fashion bags, travel mugs, organisers, hat boxes, lunch bags, shoppers and much more. The range maintains the highest quality and attention to detail at affordable prices.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: (+44) 01322 29225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M14

Spellbinding Kringle

Into The Woods

Retailer Favourite HearthWick WoodWick’s HearthWick has been the big seller of 2015 for UK distributor Xystos. The gorgeously crafted vessels and sensational scents have kept the range flying off the shelves with retailers demanding ‘more, more, and more, please’. American producer Virginia Gift Brands has been working tirelessly to fulfil orders and meet UK customer demands. Stockists can choose from 42 products and fragrances such as Dew Drops, Jasmine and Marionberry.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand 13

An 'owlsome' set of themed giftware includes a money bank for savers, a water bottle for picnickers, a stationery set for doodlers, a set of storage cases for hoarders and a picnic bag for scoffers! The collection features a stylish, glamorous owl motif using a gorgeous contemporary colour palette. All lines are available in singles, so even with a minimum outlay you can create an amazing show in store.

Widdop Bingham & Co Tel: 0161 688 1226 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk www.widdop.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall B Stand B1

Kringle Candle - the latest addition to the Xystos portfolio – has added a further 11 fragrances which will be introduced at Home & Gift. There are currently 34 scents which will be joined by Spellbound, Hot Chocolate, Slate, Secrets, Midnight, Frosted Cranberry, Kringle, Christmas, Snow-Capped Fraser, Autumn Winds and Grey (pictured). Kringle will also offer a comprehensive range of candle formats - “something for everyone” - with its premium products ideal for both home use and gifting.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand 13

New Christmas Divas Wine glasses with a difference feature four different designs of party girls coloured in turquoise, pink, lilac and green. New for Harrogate are the Christmas girls having fun. Each one is individually gift packaged; two have slightly different shaped bowls, and each one is hand painted. All come with 3D ‘boobies’. The drinking glasses make for a fun gift and have various birthday messages.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: (+44) 01322 29225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall M Stand M14 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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New Christmas fragrance Nutmeg & Cinnamon 01225 868788 email: contact@heavenscent.co.uk www.heavenscent.co.uk Facebook.com/heavenscentincense, Twitter/ heaven scent incense @SarahBellis1

Classic Is The New White Launching 2015

sales@heylandandwhittle.co.uk / www.heylandandwhittle.co.uk T: 01293 525825

www.ClassicCandle.com | Sales@ClassicCandle.com

Handmade in England

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate, 19-22 July 2015

Celebrating 21 Years In July 1994, Frith Sculpture was ‘born!’ Twenty one years later, the company will be celebrating the anniversary at Harrogate. Managing Director David Wilkinson comments that it has been an uplifting time, with new customers joining the stockist network each year, particularly during the last three to four years.

"We started with only 11 sculptures created by well-known artist Paul Jenkins and we now have over 200, sculpted not only by Paul but six other sculptors as well. All of our sculptures are made and finished by hand by our talented crafts people on Exmoor. I am proud that we are still supplying some of the customers who ordered in those first years and I am pleased to say that a number of them have become firm friends."

To mark the occasion, Frith is introducing a bumper crop of new designs for the Autumn. The creative talents of six of their sculptors is involved – Hares, Dogs, Highland Cattle , a pair of Penguins, a Dancer and a magnificent Golden Eagle.

Frith offers a wide range of subjects. Best sellers are Hares followed by Dogs, Cats, and Highland Cattle. Included are Farmyard subjects, as well as Dancers, Lovers and Nudes. Recent introductions have been Stags which have been very popular. New catalogues will be available at Harrogate but please contact Frith’s head office if you would like them sent to you.

Blue Poppy Art Tel: 01666 577110 Email david@bluepoppyart.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall A Stand A9

Handmade Cards Visit Shirley in DP4 to view all the beautiful new designs available in the Simply Special range. Each card is designed and individually created by Shirley and her team in Co Tyrone.

The designs are updated regularly so as to keep the display fresh for retailers. There is a full retail catalogue available.

Simply Special Tel: 028 8166 1066 Email: info@simplyspecial4u.com Home & Gift: Hall DP4 Stand DP4-16A

New Fragrances The WoodWick brand keeps retailers coming back for more with ever-changing scents to delight a loyal and fast-growing customer base. Xystos will look to introduce 12 more core fragrances in Harrogate. The range comprises hundreds of products across a series of collections, including Inspirational, which features uplifting messages on its vessels, while the Reserve Collection is very much designed with men in mind. There are more than 150 WoodWick jar products, as well as the Gallerie Collection and three scents-in-one candle Trilogy.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand 13

Pop Art Collection The Harrogate show will see another exciting mid-year launch from Kitchen Craft, where the company will showcase new collections and range extensions with a particular emphasis on the latest hot trends including copper, entertaining, barware and home gifts. Pop Art is also a current hot favourite theme as is the brand new Comic Strip collection. The range comprises placemats, coasters, paring knives, mugs, silicone spatulas, a chopping board, glass worktop saver and kitchen textiles all featuring zappy pop art designs.

Kitchen Craft Tel: +44 (0) 121 604 1111 Email: sales@kitchencraft.co.uk www.kitchencraft.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall

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Sheaffer 100

Knitted Animal Range Aroma Home is excited at the launch of their new knitted animal gift ranges. This year, in addition to their hugely successful knitted Fox gift range, the new ranges include a Snow Owl and Polar Bear.

Products in these ranges include the popular Animal Hottie, Hand Warmers, Cosy Ear Muffs and Booties .

Aroma Home Tel: 01793 487684 Email: sales@aromahome.com www.aromahome.com Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1/27

Joe Davies will use the Harrogate Home & Gift fair to launch the company's new Sheaffer collection of pens and gift sets.

Three new ranges will be on display: VFM - Vibrant, fun and modern, Sentinel the elegant core of the collection, and the 100 Series for that extra special gift. The timing of the launch is particularly good as pen sales traditionally soar in the months before Christmas. Joe Davies has good stocks ready for immediate delivery in July and through the year.

Joe Davies Tel: 0162 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand Q50

Stylised Lettering Sunny salutations and vibrant stylised lettering feature in this fantastic stationery gift range. With a plethora of gifts to choose from, there is something beautifully befitting for any occasion, be it a birthday gift or a treat for yourself! The range is gloriously glamorous and uses bright bold colours set against monochrome backgrounds, creating a vibrant and fun collection.

Really Good Card Co. Tel: 01235 537888 Email: ello@reallygood.uk.com www.reallygood.uk.com Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-16

Christmas Is Coming Transomnia are not exhibiting at Harrogate this year, having chosen instead to launch their new collection at a series of Open Days at their Tunbridge Wells showroom, and also through presentations by their sales agents who have been out on the road taking orders since mid-June. Their new Autumn/Winter catalogue supplement is available now.

Transomnia Tel: 01892 703660 Email: sales@transomnia.com www.transomnia.com

Pretty Pooches Meet Fritz & Dina! This pair of pretty pooches adorn a new range of gifts which uses this gorgeous vintage artwork. The palette of colours features as a background to these highly intricate line drawings, and perfectly modernises this exquisitely endearing range. From notebooks and dog bowls, this charming collection contains a gift suitable for anyone.

Soul UK Tel: 01235 537816 Email: smile@souluk.com www.souluk.com Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-17

The Art Of Glass Wild Things (D4) will be showing a whole range of new glass ornaments, Rainbow Makers, and jewellery incorporating Swarovski crystal. All are designed in-house, and most are assembled locally in Devon. Amongst the highlights are some lovely nature-inspired sterling silver jewellery set with Swarovski crystal, a new peacock coloured range of Rainbow Makers, and new birthstone jewellery.

Illustrated are new colours in the popular Fantasy Glass range.

Wild Things Gifts Tel: 01392 211268 Email: info@wildthingsgifts.com www.wildthingsgifts.com Home & Gift: Hall D Stand D4 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate, 19-22 July 2015

Amora Stands Ashleigh & Burwood present brand new point of sale solutions for their popular Amora Scent Hubs. The double sided floor display is designed to house the full product range, information leaflets, oil testers and demonstration Scent Hubs, fitted with a power cable to enable Scent Hubs to be demonstrated. The company also offers a smaller counter top display, created to display a full range of oils with testers, plus a demonstration Scent Hub and information leaflets.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall B Stand B4

Simply Ceramic Ashleigh & Burwood unveil the brand new design interpretation to grace their Simply Ceramic collection.

Perfectly balancing trends in home décor and home fragrance, Simply Ceramic fragrance lamps combine intricate yet subtle ornamentation with a fresh, fashion inspired colour palette. Priced competitively, the Simply Ceramic lamps appeal to a completely new market sector who are ready to discover the benefits of fragrance lamps.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall B Stand B4

Luxury Soap Makeover Best Kept Secrets new soap range launches this Autumn, with completely redesigned packaging, new soap ranges and additional products. The 30 luxury soap bars come in 100g and 50g bar sizes, and all soaps are hand poured, matured and logged on site in Northumberland. Many of the products contain local ingredients, and the emphasis has been placed on traditional processes to achieve a superb quality finish and excellent scent quality.

Best Kept Secrets Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand Q1

Scented Melt Fusions Best Kept Secrets have recently launched their own scented Melt Fusions range, with a dozen of their best selling scents now available in heart shaped wax melts, with an emphasis on fragrance quality and vibrant colours and glitter finishes. Denise Edwards from Best Kept Secrets commented: "With distinctive point of sale materials and a great selection of melts, we are very proud of our latest range. A starter pack has also been produced for new retailers."

Best Kept Secrets Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand Q1

Modern Apothecary Stoneglow’s new Modern Apothecary range is the company's shining star for 2015, as proud winner of the Gift of the Year competition. The range comprises both candles and reed diffusers across six fantastic fragrances.

New for Autumn/Winter are travel candles and a gift pack. All candles are made from Stoneglow's unique new natural wax blend which offers an unrivalled fragrance throw and performance against other natural waxes.

Stoneglow Candles Tel: -0208 595 8878 Email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall A Stand A32 Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H27

New Room Sprays Stoneglow Candles will be introducing room sprays into two of the company's most popular ranges. In Modern Classics, sprays will be available across all eight fragrances in a lovely presentation box, and bottle shape to match the best-selling reed diffusers. In White Orchid, sprays will be available across all 10 fragrances in a stylish bottle printed with the black orchid design and presented in a gift box.

Stoneglow Candles Tel: -0208 595 8878 Email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate, 19-22 July 2015

Get Ready For Christmas

Having A Beano

Spectacular colours abound when you come to Globe’s stand. Prepare to be dazzled by our sumptuous gift packaging, alluring tea light holders, a treasure trove of stocking fillers and small gifts, jewelled Christmas decorations and ever so appealing homewares. Get ready for Christmas 2015 with signature styles and designs from Globe Enterprise and Globe Home.

Globe Enterprise Tel: +44 (0) 20 8845 5057 Email: info@globeenterprise.co.uk www.globeenterprise.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-33

Everybody we know loves the Beano which is celebrating over 75 years of the very best of British comic art and humour. It’s a glorious, riotous celebration of children and childhood whose characters have it all. Mischief, mayhem, jokes and pranks are at the very core of the Beano’s DNA led by its biggest stars Dennis the Menace and Gnasher.

Growing up can happen to anyone…put it off for a while with Wild & Wolfs new look Beano range!

Wild & Wolf Tel: +44 01225 789909 Email: sales@wildandwolf.com www.wildandwolf.com Home & Gift: Hall DP2 Stand DP2-3

Exotic Warmies Heatable toy inventors Intelex Group are showcasing their latest line-up of Warmies at Harrogate. Keen to capitalise on new trends, Intelex have this year launched their Cozy Pets and British wildlife range including Badger, Fox and Hedgehog, along with more exotic animal characters including a Dinosaur, Panda and Unicorn. Intelex’s Warmies range can be gently warmed in the microwave to make brilliant bed warming companions. RRP £11.95.

Intelex Group (UK) Tel: 01933 679 777 Email : sales@intelexgroup.com Home and Gift: Hall B Stand B9

Seasonal Colours Miss Milly is launching its largest ever range of new products for Autumn/Winter. Using on-trend seasonal colours of cranberry, peacock blue and amethyst, and introducing gold and rose gold plating, the new jewellery is stunning and reasonably-priced with pieces suitable for gift shops and clothing boutiques alike. Branded gift packaging and display stands are available to create striking product stories.

All products available online now. Register or call for trade access.

Miss Milly Tel: 01905 622509 Email: hello@missmilly.co.uk www.missmilly.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall DP3 Stand DP3-9

Unique Lamp Create your own Fragrance Wax Melts are introducing their unique ScentPearls lamp. Gentle heat from the low power bulb releases the ScentPearls fragrance while offering a soft ambient glow. With no naked flame, ScentPearls are a safer way to deliver fragrance. ScentChips, ScentBurners, Scentoils & ScentLamps will also be on display.

Triple S Supplies Tel: 01259 751009 Email: sales@triplessupplies.co.uk www.worldofscentchips.com/uk/en www.triplessupplies.co.uk Home & Gift: Hall Q Stand Q39

In Full Bloom After successfully winning the Gift of the Year Stationery Award for the 2014 Opulent Bloom collection, Ted’s new prints feature layer upon layer of decadent blooms, with the new Shadow Floral print beautiful and beguiling. Our collection features best sellers, with the new AW prints, direct from the catwalk, including a foldable glasses case, giftwrap book, manicure set, travel organiser, notebook, bento box, touch screen pens, travel accessories and more! Launching at Home & Gift DP2-3.

Wild & Wolf Tel: +44 01225 789909 Email: sales@wildandwolf.com www.wildandwolf.com Home & Gift: Hall DP2 Stand DP2-3 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Home & Gift, Harrogate, 19-22 July 2015

Mugs That Fizz Celebrate milestone birthdays with a mug that's full of fizz! Boxer’s Sherbet Fizz birthday mugs, in a range of lip-licking sorbet shades, feature fun and light-hearted slogans and are finished with a little bit of diamante sparkle. From Official Adult for an 18th birthday, to Still Got It for a 70th, these mugs continue the trend for bright, sugary colours, adding a pop of colour to your retail space.

Boxer Gifts Tel: Phone 01133 955595 Email: sales@boxergifts.com www.boxergifts.com Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-21

Candles With Shimmer Flashy Gift Bows Gaeltag Keltika will be showing a fun new line at Harrogate with its LED Flashy Gift Bows range. These flashing LED bows come in four styles and five classic colourways, changing hue to suit any gift presentation. The novelty value extends to secondary use as tree decorations, or as part of a Christmas table setting. They come ready to merchandise on j-hooks, and are an ideal extra pick up line at £2.49 RRP. Gaeltag Keltika Tel: 020 8998 1781 Email: sales@gaeltag.com www.gaeltagkeltika.com Home & Gift: Hall DP4 Stand DP4-5

In A Festive Mood Gaeltag Keltika is launching a new range of fun Christmas wine glasses from Lolita.

Christmas Diva, Too reprises a fantastically successful design with extra glamour; Winter is a classic snowflake design, and Strictly Reindeer, a humorous take on a certain TV programme, with Santa’s hardworking helpers enjoying a bit of dancing downtime. Continuing the humour is a great new beer design – Frosty’s Beer Belly. Gaeltag will be showing Lolita at Harrogate Home & Gift stand DP4-5.

Gaeltag Keltika Tel: 020 8998 1781 Email: sales@gaeltag.com www.lolitadesigns.co.uk www.cowparade.eu www.gaeltagkeltika.com Home & Gift: Hall DP4 Stand DP4-5

Dinner guests will be delighted by these elegant white dinner candles which hide a shimmering metallic surprise. As the wick burns, and the white candle melts, the wax magically turns to metallic trickles, creating a stunning and eye catching look. Available in either gold or silver, they’re perfect for Christmas festivities and the party season.

Boxer Gifts Tel: Phone 01133 955595 Email: sales@boxergifts.com www.boxergifts.com Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand DP1-21

Circles & Ovals Dansk Smykkekunst launches its brand new autumn/winter collection at the Home & Gift 2015 show. “Circles and ovals are a big trend in Scandinavia this season and feature in the new jewellery designs” explains creative director Malene Storm. “We’re inspired by our customers, and our new ranges, such as Olvido, were designed specifically for the UK market.” Accessories include new jewellery, handbags, watches, scarves and hat designs.

Dansk Smykkekunst Tel:0161 653 1586 Email: info@pa-agencies.co.uk uk.dansksmykkekunst.dk Home & Gift: Hall DP1 Stand: DP1-67

Yellow Submarine Giftware Puckator is expanding its officially licensed giftware ranges. Brand new for this season are the Yellow Submarine Money Box, Vacuum Flask and Wall Clock; perfect for both collectors and Beatles fans alike. The iconic Yellow Submarine design from the 1968 British animated film, based on the music of The Beatles, is still hugely popular nearly 50 years on! To see all of Puckator’s latest products, visit them at one of many tradeshows they will be at this year.

Puckator Tel: 0800 011 6969 Email: customerservices@puckator.co.uk www.puckator.co.uk Harrogate Fair Hall DP1 Stand 23 Autumn Fair Hall 5 Stand K02-L03 Top Drawer Stand D41 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products to be showcased this month.

Glass Skulls 3D Displays are excited to announce the arrival of a stunning addition to their range. Made from recycled glass, these glass skulls are available in a vibrant range of colours and are ideal for a retail environment or in the home. Perfect for hats or headphones, or simply on a book shelf or coffee table.

3D Displays Tel: 01795 532947 Email: info@3ddisplays.co.uk www.3ddisplays.co.uk

Parks, manufacturers of 100% natural wax candles, have introduced a sensational luxury 10 wick candle in a heavyweight 25cm diameter glass bowl with silver rim. This new range comprises a selection of eight of the most popular and sophisticated fragrances from their Parks Aromatherapy Collection. This is the perfect candle to have as a centrepiece in any beautiful home with a burn time of approximately 100 hours. It will sit beautifully in a hotel foyer or company reception area or make an excellent executive corporate gift. It is opulent, lavish, luxurious and superbly packaged in a luxury rigid box making it a wonderful gift to give and receive. This product can be customised to bespoke requirements.

Parks (London) Tel: 0208 830 6300 Email: Info@parkscandles.com www.parkscandles.com

Absolutely Fabulous Parlane has teamed up with another new, talented British designer, Samara Hardy, who has created two sets of cute and original illustrations: a Winter Woodland theme and a girly Fabulous design to use on cotton canvas shoppers, cosmetic bags and wash bags. Cost prices start from £2.40.

Parlane International Tel: 01451 812700 Email: sales@parlane.co.uk www.parlaneinternational.co.uk

Australia's No.1 Pen STIX is Shachihata Europe’s sensational new product! It is the number 1 pen in Australia, and now we are delighted to have launched it here in the UK. With the benefit of the associated connectors, characters and building ability, STIX is designed to inspire and excite children to Build & Draw in their day to day activities.

Sachihata Europe Tel: 01928 790 844 Email: sales@shachihata.eu www.artline-xstamper.com/

100% Natural Wax Candles

Nordic Influences Scandi is the new shabby say Transomnia. For the past few years, the vintage-styled 'shabby-chic' look has predominated, but while still accounting for a significant part of the gifts and interiors market, there is now a clear trend emerging towards a cleaner, more contemporary look, with a strong Nordic influence.

Transomnia's striking new collection for Autumn/Winter 2015 showcases this look.

Transomnia Tel: 01892 703660 Email: sales@transomnia.com www.transomnia.com

Fun New Kits ExaClair, the UK supplier of Decopatch and Avenue Mandarine, has brought Decopatch into Avenue Mandarine’s popular Creative Boxes range to make the art of decoupage accessible and fun. New is the Love Kit with heart shaped trinkets and pretty pink and red papers; the Butterflies Kit, with 12 maché butterflies and five papers perfect for creating beautiful butterfly ornaments; and the garden kit, containing little birds and bird houses ready to be adorned with kitsch, garden-themed papers.

Exaclair Tel: 01553 696600 Email: enquiries@exaclair.co.uk http://www.exaclair.co.uk/ PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products to be showcased this month.

A Trio Of Figurines All Border Fine Arts Classic sculptures are entirely handcrafted in our studio in the Scottish Borders by our highly trained craftspeople. This launch, we will be adding three new figurines, each featuring a different subject: from Lean on Me by Anne Wall, to a new sheep breed study for our portfolio - Welsh Half-bred Ewe & Suffolk Cross-bred Lambs - entitled Moving On by Ray Ayres. Pictured, is A Good Day Out by Anne Wall.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk www.borderfinearts.com

Betty Boop By Britto

Smug About Mugs

America’s classic sweetheart, Betty Boop, has been given a modern twist by international pop artist Romero Britto for Enesco’s latest launch, Betty Boop by Britto . The launch collection encompasses figurines, ornaments, glass plaques and tumblers decorated in vibrant colours, bold patterns and the exquisite detail that characterise Britto’s popular pulsating style. All make captivating seasonal gifts.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk

Our Name Is Mud are bold and quirky in size, shape, colour and statement, designed to be used on a daily basis. Highlights of the June 2015 launch include Advice for the Bride and Advice for The Groom mugs, featuring witty text, while grandparents can be treated to some humour too, with Grandmother and Grandfather mugs. There is also the You Are My Sunshine mug set, the perfect gift for a new couple.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk

Stags With Style The latest launch from BFA Character is Stags with Style. This irresistible collection of six welldressed debonair stags - Henry, George, Lawrence, Hugo, Spencer and Edward - reveals males are out to impress as they pursue traditional countryside pursuits. Each figurine is presented in a branded gift box and is ideal as an amusing gift or self-purchase.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk www.borderfinearts.com

Happy Birthday Peanuts Available from Enesco, the Peanuts by Jim Shore Designs feature the characters from the everpopular Peanuts comic strip including Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Woodstock. The second launch includes a special 65th celebratory birthday piece and 11 other figurines. The witty personalities expressed by each piece are enhanced by Jim Shore’s colourful folk-art inspired decorations. Fans will have more to cheer about later this year when The Peanuts Movie, a new animated feature from Blue Sky Studios, hits cinema screens worldwide.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk

Wild About Words The Wild about Words Pet collection, created by Belgian designer Dominique Vari, is an innovative range of contemporary gift and home wares. Comprising mugs, pet feeding bowls, picture frames, wall art and tote bags, the collection is destined to warm the heart of many a pet-loving home. Dominique performs ‘typographic magic’ to reveal messages such as ‘top dog’, generating a positive spirit in people’s minds.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Best Sellers Progressive Gifts & Home asked a selection of retailers about the products which have been flying off their shelves this month.

Ian Morris, co-owner, MAP Gift Shop, Holloway A medium sized gift shop on a secondary site CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Fifty One Percent: Pip Studio Royal range; Gisela Graham: Vintage photo frames

Decorative, elegant china in vibrant colours.

People love the vintage colours and styles.

Fragranced Giftware

The Country Candle Company: candles

A huge selection of different scents. Candles are well priced and come in soya wax.

A wide range of products from foot scrubs to lip balms. Customers come back time and time again.

Burt's Bees: across the board Jewellery

Martick Jewellery: silver; MAP: semi precious stones

Contemporary silver designs that appeal to a broad range of customer.

Made by MAP's Kathryn Phalp. Customers love the fact it's been designed by one of the owners of the shop.

Fashion Accessories

One Hundred Stars: scarves and dressing gowns; Golunski: leather purses and wallets

A fantastic selection of printed maps of cities such as London, New York and Paris.

A huge selection of colours and designs at affordable prices.

Greetings Cards

Urban Graphics: Toasted; Stop The Clock Design

Witty, comical cards that have customers laughing out loud.

Hand-finished cards with a unique 'drawn' feeling.

Giftwrap

Giftwrap UK: Stewd

A well priced, broad range of styles and colours.

Other Hot Hits

Jellycat: plush

One of the most popular ranges in the shop.

Above: Map Gift Shop, Holloway, N London.

James Gill, director, Glyph, Hitchin

A medium sized gift shop in the town centre CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Philippi: across the board

Modern photo frames, desk accessories and barware with a modern, German, design-led leaning.

Fragranced Giftware

Milla Maddern: handmade soaps; Caroline Gardner: reed diffusers/candles

The soaps are made in Somerset using goats milk and Manuka honey, fragranced with essential oils. Well packaged.

These are packaged in Caroline's trademark modern style.

Jewellery

Carrie Elspeth: across the board Blaze: semi precious stones and fresh water pearls

Made in Wales, there is a large selection of budget friendly costume jewellery.

Another Welsh jewellery maker with a constantly changing selection of designs in great colours.

Above: Glyph, Hitchin.

Fashion Accessories

Laurige: small leather goods

French made items in a wide selection of colours.

Greeting Cards

Stop The Clock Design

Stylish, modern greeting cards featuring fresh looking designs with cross gender appeal.

Giftwrap

Glick

A wide selection of generally more contemporary designs.

Other Hot Hits

Think of Me: children's stationery

Bright, bold, die cut party invite and thank you cards. Nicely packaged.

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Sally Matson, owner, Red Card, Petworth A small gift shop in a market square CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Bluebell 33: cushions;

A great variety of bespoke products. We do well with New York, London, Petworth and Petworth GU28 cushions.

Popular across all age groups. A bit of fun.

Ohh Deer: illustrated gifts

Fragranced Giftware

PEB Industries: Gentle Man men's grooming collection; Beefayre: candles, diffusers, body creams

Eye-catching packaging; great price points.

Gorgeous packaging, lovely fragrances. Everything is made in England using natural ingredients.

Meri Meri: Sweet Thing necklaces; Midhaven: Tribal

The fun motifs are a big hit with tweens.

Fashion Accessories

One Button: Hem & Edge; Powder: scarves

Eye-catching 100% cotton scarves.

Dressy scarves that come in beautiful gift bags.

Greeting Cards

Stop The Clock Design

Clever, pretty ranges with something for everyone.

Giftwrap

The Art File

Fun, smart wrap for blokes.

Other Hot Hits

Wild & Wolf: Happy Jackson

Bright, fun, quality gifts for youngsters and teenagers.

Jewellery

Above: Red Card, Petworth.

These unisex leather and steel bracelets continue to sell out.

Sally Robinson, owner, Mrs Robinson's Store, Worthing A small gift shop on a secondary site CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Cubic: Magpie;

Great colours and designs. The set of spice tins have sold well.

Vibrant 'happy' colours at an affordable price

Nkuku: hand-painted enamel tins

Fragranced Giftware

Parkminster: candles;

Emma's Soap: handmade soaps Jewellery

The candles are made locally, attractively packaged and well priced.

The votives do really well.

These are especially popular for anyone with sensitive or eczema prone skin.

Above: Mrs Robinson's Store, Worthing.

Estella Bartlett: costume jewellery; Acorn & Will: retro/vintage

Customers particularly like the Wildflower range featuring daisies.

Fashion Accessories

Miss Short Hair: scarves; Earth Squared: scarves/purses

The colours and prints are fantastic and have a great impact in store.

Customers like the classic spot range, including the purses.

Greeting Cards

Madame Treacle

Vintage style cards. Birds, butterflies and woodland creatures are customer favourites.

Giftwrap

Cavallini

Amazing quality. Favourites are the butterfly and dog designs. People buy them to hang on the wall.

Other Hot Hits

Wild & Wolf: Happy Jackson

Products include hair ties, lip balm, stationery. Great packaging and fun phrases.

Colourful, fun and very affordable, the rose and cute animal brooches are among the best sellers.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Best Sellers

THE ART FILE T: 0115 8507490 E: sales@theartfile.com W: www.theartfile.com

112

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

What better testimonial for products than those of your fellow retailers. Here's all the information you need to get in touch and start stocking!

STOP THE CLOCK DESIGN LTD T: 01457 763 335 E: info@stoptheclockdesign.com W: www.stoptheclockdesign.com

MARTICK JEWELLERY T: 020 7274 0333 E: Email: martickjewellery@yahoo.co.uk W: www.martickjewellery.com

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CLASSIFIED

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Wood, plastic, metal & glass frames.

Our expert team have all the reputable qualifications to drive your business forward.

With an outstanding creative team, leaders in SEO, and a premium shopping engine, we are all you need to propel your business forward. With hundreds of sparkling eCommerce sites and a proven history of success, find out more about our fine range of solutions today.

T: 01908976443 E: sales@homsquare.co.uk www.homsquare.co.uk

COUNTER ROLLS

GIFT IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS

Just a few reasons to buy from Joe Davies: Over 7500 gift lines Low £100 minimum order ‘Little & Often’ order system Free carriage Please contact our award winning sales staff for further details Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk

www.joedavies.co.uk

TRADE ASSOCIATION bsite paid “The EPoS system and welf months.” ha a d an r for itself in fou dred

Paul, One Hun

The Giftware Association is the UK’s long established trade association serving retailers and suppliers in the gift and home industry, offering a wide selection of money-saving services, including free marketing, product offers, discounted hotel rates, legal advice and much more.

Rachel - Customer Services

Website: www.ga-uk.org Email: enquiries@ga-uk.org Tel: 0121 237 1104 10 Vyse St, Birmingham B18 6LT

Call us on 0845 68 00 126 or email info@intelligentretail.co.uk

SALES CAREER WITH A DIFFERENCE BASED IN CARDIFF

GIFTS & GREETINGS

It costs as little as £250 per annum to advertise in the Product Directory.

Contact Angie Bryant on 01993 212 994 for further information.

We are a long established, family orientated company who are looking for a self motivated, ambitious, person with strong Sales and Marketing abilities, preferably in the Gift Industry, who has a desire for something different to the normal, ‘run of the mill’ job.

Your primary responsibilities would be to service existing Retail and Internet Based House Accounts and to source and develop new business within these sectors.

You would be involved in all other aspects of Sales and Marketing including design and selection of new product ranges, catalogue design and layout, design and set up of exhibition show stands, mail outs, advertising and promotions and assisting in the development of our own website.

DISPLAY/SHOPFITTING

You would be based at our office in Cardiff when not attending exhibitions or making sales visits.

Basic Requirements:-

• Full current driving licence • Good computer skills • English speaking and numerate • Sales & Marketing Experience • Smart appearance • Living in or near Cardiff • Physically able to build and dismantle show stand • Availability to be away from home for 30 nights + p.a.

• Current Passport

Apply in writing with a copy of your CV to: Bill Caddick Mele & Co. Sanatorium Road, Cardiff, CF11 8PN. ALTERNATIVELY CALL ON OUR STAND AT SPRING INT FAIR NEC FEB 1st - 5th HALL 5 K23 113

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On The Road David Strafford has been a gift agent for almost five years and covers East Anglia. He gives his views on how the General Election, both pre and post, has impacted on his business, and why he thinks that Home & Gift in Harrogate, taking place in July, will be a good barometer for new products going forward this year.

His principals include Nobile Glassware; Peter Pauper Press; Tara Giftworks; Cassa Grande and Wikholm.

"In the two weeks prior to the General Election on May 7, there was definitely a lack of appointments," recalls David. "I think retailers were genuinely quite nervous, and used the Election as something of a 'shield'. With so much uncertainty, they were waiting to see what the outcome would be before they committed to anything. I'm sure it was the same for other gift agents covering other parts of the country. There was a big 'wait and see' element, but once the country knew that David Cameron would be returning to Downing Street as PM, there was definitely more confidence and appointments increased."

David Strafford

He highlights that, in his experience, the really successful retailers are those who are prepared to be progressive and go out on a limb to look at, and try out, new products and new ways of doing their displays and marketing. "They know that the customer on the streets is looking for value for money - £2 for David Strafford. every £1 they spend. The retailers who seem to be struggling are those who are closed to new product, even if it is on a sale or return or 90 days basis."

With new product being the lifeblood of the industry, David nevertheless says he feels there may have been a bit less investment this year. "Although gift retailers always want to know what's new, I think companies have been more cautious this year.

However, with Home & Gift in Harrogate opening its doors in July, the show is sure to give us a good feel for what customers are looking for in late summer. I've also noticed that retailers coming to trade shows this year are more serious about placing orders, and are less inclined to come along just to browse."

Last Word

Paul Farmer, OBE

Paul Farmer, md of Wade Ceramics in Stoke-onTrent, received the OBE from HRH Prince Charles in May for international trade along with his contribution to the ceramics industry in Stoke-on-Trent. Happy to be a 'Stoke-y', Paul, originally an accountant, reveals that he's a 'foodie' at heart.

❐ The book that you most enjoy reading? "Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. I have read it countless times and it is always inspirational."

❐ Three words that best describe you?

"Positive, enthusiastic, committed."

❐ How do you begin your day? "I wake up immediately, start the day with a shower and then go straight to work."

❐ A quirky fact that we don't know about you? "I have cooked with Indian Michelin starred chef Suvir Saran in America." ❐ The best advice that you have ever been given? "Always employ two people who are better than you at your job. They will be so good that they'll make you shine, and as you rise, they will rise with you." ❐ The best advice that you would give to someone else? "Never give in. No matter what the problem, you can always find a solution.

It was said by Sir Winston Churchill."

❐ Your favourite place to visit? "Isla Mujeres in Mexico. It's small - four miles long by one mile wide - beautiful and incredibly relaxing, Plus, the people are very friendly."

Paul Farmer, OBE.

❐ How do you spend your evenings? "Going out to restaurants, watching TV or reading. I find it very easy to relax, although I'm always on call because we work so closely with America and China." ❐ Do you have an emotional tie with any of your products? "I have a very strong affiliation with the decanters we make, especially the current designs for Johnny Walker."

❐ What you love most about your job? "The diversity of what we do and being fully involved in the business."

❐ What's the best gift that you've ever received? "My wife Kate bought me a five year membership to a vineyard in Bordeaux for my 50th birthday."

❐ Your favourite TV programme? "MasterChef: The Professionals. I particularly like Monica Galetti, one of the presenters of the TV series and the senior sous chef at Le Gavroche in London."

❐ What's the best gift that you've ever given to someone else?

"A remodelled antique diamond ring that I bought for Kate. It’s now her favourite ring."

❐ Your favourite film? "True Grit. I love Westerns, and John Wayne is definitely the greatest cowboy that ever lived!"

❐ Which one item would you take to a desert island?

"My BBQ."

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Autumn/Winter

Olympia London 13â&#x20AC;&#x201D;15 September 2015

Register for your complimentary ticket www.topdrawer.co.uk

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